The Kids Aren't Alright
by aphVirginia
Summary: Zara, one of the 41 Supreme Beings, is online with Momonga when YGGDRASIL ends and the new world begins. Thrust into a new world with her healer's build, will she survive or will she thrive? This fic can also be found on Archive Of Our Own, with more chapters! I'll be doing a Q & A every 10 chapters or so, so keep your eyes peeled for that! Rating may change in future
1. A New Beginning

**(Author's Note: This story is undergoing editing from newest to oldest chapters to be edited and rewritten in the 1st person POV. I'm currently, at time of editing this, working on chapter 15 backwards so that the next chapter for you all is in the 1st person POV. No worries, all of you who hate 2nd person POV-that's going to change in the newest chapter. Please enjoy!)**

You scarf down your meal, rice and some veggies fried with an egg, impatient to log onto YGGDRASIL. You kept an eye on the time, determined to not be late to the last day you'd be able to log on; you refused to miss it.

You and your friend Momonga had planned an in-game party for the others who showed up, helped him draft an email to send to see who wanted to show up for one last hurrah; only Hero-Hero responded and said he'd make an appearance. So, you had to hurry; you'd hate it if you missed him.

You glanced at the clock when you finished your meal, swearing softly. 23:00.

You sped through rinsing your plate, hopping into your setup and logging into the system as quickly as you could.

"—at the end of tongight. Goodnight." You swore internally, guilt clawing at your throat; served you right for taking the time to actually cook a meal rather than get take-out.

"Hey, Momonga. Did I miss anyone else? Or just HeroHero-chan?" You sat next to your friend, shooting s questioning glance towards the 39 unfilled seats at the table.

"No, just him." Momonga sighed softly, resting his head in his hands. It stung; you two had kept Nasarick around for yourselves and the others, and yet…

"That… God, that blows." You place a soothing paw on Momonga's shoulder, concerned. "But at least we're here. We can give this place the send-off it deserves. Besides, we'll meet up IRL after this; I'll get us drinks."

That seemed to perk him up a bit; you'd see to it that it happened. You two only lived an hour or two apart, as far as you were aware. Hell, you'd buy a plane ticket for it if you needed to.

"Send-off in the Throne room?"

"Of course."

You followed Momonga out of the room, chattering about work as you both led Sebas and the Pleiades to the throne room.

You were going to miss this.

The Guild.

The adventures.

The friends.

Most of all, though, you were going to miss being able to spend time in a world where nothing on the outside really mattered.

You both entered the Throne room, going silent to stare at the flags hanging from the ceiling. All 42 of them, each one for the members of Ainz Ool Gown. It hurt, knowing that none of them were coming back. You weren't sure what Momonga was thinking, but you wouldn't be surprised if it were the same.

"Oh! I forgot Albedo was in here." You spoke quietly, gesturing to the NPC at the throne.

"So did I…" Based on his tone of voice, he'd forgotten that her name was Albedo. You smiled to yourself, walking up to her and pulling her information up.

"Tabula put a lot of work into her… I'm impressed at all the detail he put in." You mumble, skimming the sheet as Momonga sped through it.

You both laughed upon the reveal at the end of it; classic Tabula.

"No, wait, it's our last day; let me just—" You signed into administrator for her, deleting the last line and adding "She is in love with Momonga."

"No!" He put his skeletal hands over his face, thoroughly amused. Then, as if the thought struck him, he moved and added a "And Zara."

You both laughed, thoroughly amused with it. Tabula wouldn't mind since the server was going down; he'd have found it funny himself if he were there.

You glanced at the time, sobering up.

23:58:32

"Shit… server goes down in under two minutes. Thank god I don't work tomorrow…" You look at Momonga, patting your paw on his head. "You work tomorrow?"

"I have to get up at four A.M."

"Jesus, man; you couldn't catch a break, huh?"

"Yeah…" Your chest felt tight, tears pricked at your vision. You weren't sure how you would survive without YGGDRASIL, without your friends. You couldn't lose them, couldn't let it happen again.

You wouldn't survive it.

23:59:23

"Momonga?"

"Yes?"

23:59:36

"It's… It's been great, doing this with you."

23:59:47

"… Yeah."

23:59:56

23:59:57

23:59:58

23:59:59

00:00:00

00:00:01

The world felt… Different, now. Was there a server delay? Some sort of crash? You look around, bewildered. The colors felt sharper, more vibrant; the scents of the room were far more pronounced than before. The soft cloth you were wearing seemed to feel softer, and the sound of breathing was easier to hear.

Something was Wrong.

"Momonga?" Maybe you were just lagging? Maybe the server reset was a troll for a new patch? You looked at him, worry pressing your ears to your head and causing your tails to flick from side to side.

"Zara, the GM call function isn't working." Well… Shit.

"What's this GM Call Function?" A womanly voice spoke, your ears turning towards the source before you looked. Albedo? But… NPC's weren't supposed to have voices. Hell, they weren't even supposed to talk…

"Is something wrong, Lord Momomga? Lady Zara?"

Your blood ran cold.

The technology that let you play in YGGDRASIL limited your sense of touch. It did not give you a sense of smell, or taste, and limited your sense of touch. And yet… You could smell the faint lavender coming from Albedo, you could no longer taste the meal you had eaten before logging on, and everything felt more real than it had been in-game… Ever.

"No, Albedo." You didn't think so, but she seemed satisfied by the answer.

Something was very, _very_ wrong.

"However… Something feels wrong. I'm not sure what, but it does." Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Momonga nodding in agreement.

"Sebas," He spoke, and the butler that had followed you into the throne room lifted his head. "Exit the Tomb and investigate the surrounding region."

"Of course, my lord." Their mouths were moving! That hadn't happened in the game when anyone spoke, let alone an NPC.

What was going on?

You opened your mouth to speak, and—

You. Opened your mouth.

You could feel your mouth open, knew it was yours, and yet—

This shouldn't be possible.

You shut it without speaking, confusion and worry edging into a rather large and inescapable concern.

Were you and Momonga trapped in YGGDRASIL?

"Pleiades, please go to the 9th floor and repel any invaders from the 8th floor." His voice cut through your thoughts, turning your attention to the Pleiades leaving the room with affirmation of his orders. All that remained was yourself, Albedo, and Momonga.

"So…." You mumbled, eyeing Momonga and Albedo. If Momonga was thinking the way you were, which he likely was, there was one thing to do to get the attention of the devs.

And you didn't want to do it.

"Hey. Momonga, I'm going to go check out the 7th floor. Sound good?" In reality, you didn't want to witness… whatever idiocy he was about to attempt. You could feel it, your idiot radar was going off.

"Of course. Meet me on the 6th floor in an hour?" That settled it. Idiocy was about to occur.

If it worked, you'd apologize for not believing in him.

"Sounds good." And with that, you realized you had no idea how to teleport. You had the ring and no idea how to use it… But you were gonna try.

You thought, focused on the main entrance to the 7th floor, imagined you being there, and as the cold of the Throne Room swapped with the heat of the 7th floor, you smirked in smug victory.

Magic test complete, you then attempted using your [Message] spell.

Message Started

Zara: Momonga?

Momonga: How—

Zara: Magic works.

Momonga: Oh.

Momonga: I'm gonna… Test something.

Zara: If you're testing what I *think* you're testing—

Momonga: World's real or its YGGDRASIL 2.0

Momonga: R-18 actions are allowed

Zara: You touched Albedo's boobs, didn't you?

Momonga: I—Shut up!

Zara: Nice one, man. When's the wedding?

Momonga: Don't lie and pretend like you weren't tempted.

Zara: Never said I wasn't. Go get her, tiger.

Momonga: ANYWAYS, we're going to have the floor guardians at our meeting in an hour.

Zara: Sounds good. I'm gonna make sure nothing's up in the 7th floor, see you there.

Message End

You looked around you, admiring the lava-filled scenery as you began wandering about. You loved the 7th floor, the way the architecture seemed natural around the lava and the way the colors complimented each other. It was your favorite floor, tied only with the 6th floor at night. It was so much your favorite, that you'd placed your temple where the NPC, Demiurge, usually was. So, you headed there; you should probably check on your temple, anyways.

Now, you didn't NEED a temple. But having one gave you buffs to your stats depending on the offerings left there; having it on the 7th floor made sense. No-one would expect it in such a demonic-like location. It was kept safe within a secret room hidden in the floor's temple. It was a miniaturized version of a classic Japanese shrine, complete with the little paper charms and some offerings. You had placed the offerings there yourself, since they chose your buffs, but you could swap them at will.

You picked your way through the floor, greeting the NPC's that you passed on your way there. There were a handful of demon NPC's, as well as one or two that were submerged in the lava. You even passed the large lava slime NPC, the one whose name you didn't remember, on your way to the temple.

When you got there, you stopped. You were surprised, but you shouldn't have been; this was where he usually resided inside of Nazarick.

Demiurge was waiting for you at the entrance of the Tomb.


	2. Demons are a Girl's Best Friend

You looked at Demiurge as you picked your way through the landscape, thoughts racing. How did he know you would be showing up? Why was he waiting for you? Would he even like you, now that he wasn't an NPC? You thought harder, racking your brain to think of what you remembered of him. A thought, and you paused; what did he remember from before… Well, you were going to call it the Shift.

Did he remember you from before?

When you'd first found him, you'd admit to not making a single squealing noises out of pride. None occurred and no one would tell you otherwise.

"Ohhh, look at you!" You'd walked your way around him and did so more than once, looking at his physical details and admiring the work that went into him. "You're so handsome! Ulbert put a lot of heart and soul into you, damn…"

You'd pulled up his flavor text, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the detail worked into his character. A smart tough guy on the outside with a soft side on the inside.

"Interesting… Ulbert didn't give you anything in the way of kinks. Though, he may have thought Shalltear was too much…" You'd let out a soft laugh, closing his backstory with a smile. "Still, I can see the heart and soul he gave you. One of the best written of the NPC's, that's for sure!" You'd patted his head, a content smile on your face.

"Here, follow me; I'm going to make a temple down here and I need to pick the best spot!"

Of course, that wasn't the last time you'd been around him, not by a long shot. You'd had him around when you were designing and making tweaks to your Temple (among other projects) just to have something to talk to while you worked. And you had talked about… A lot of things. Your issues included.

Did he remember those one-sided conversations?

"Welcome, Lady Zara." He spoke with a bow as you reached him, his tail flicking lazily from side to side. "What brings you to the 7th floor?"

"I, ah, wanted to check on my temple." It felt… Weird, talking to him. You'd talked _at_ him plenty of times in the past, but talking with him felt… Different. Not bad, necessarily, but different.

"Of course, my Lady." He stood, his classic know-it-all smile on his face replaced with something softer. "Would you mind if I accompany you? With Nazarick's current state, it would be unwise to leave you without protection."

"You can if you want to." He seemed… Kinder than you expected. Gentler, as well. Your alarm bells were going off, but only quietly; the whole situation was weird.

"Then I shall, my Lady." Another bow, and then you both entered the temple.

The inside of the 7th floor temple was designed to feel haunting, yet beautiful. It was supposed to feel like an abandoned and decrepit church that still had a surviving window of stained glass, one that shone its multicolored light to the its abandoned state.

It took inspiration from Bloodborne, Skyrim, and many other old-school games with similar atmospheres. There was plenty of detail, cracks and what was designed to look like old religious art upon the walls, scorch marks from some lava pools that were on the inside.

This temple was your favorite place in Nazarick.

"Demiurge?"

"Yes, my Lady?" You could feel his questioning look on the back of your head.

"If you don't mind my asking…" You had to know; may as well bite the bullet now and get it over with. But how to ask without giving away what, specifically, you wanted to know?

"What's your earliest memory?"

"My earliest memory…." You turned to look back at him; he seemed surprised.

Was he expecting you to just… talk at him, rather than with him, now?

"My earliest memories, as far as I can tell, are when my creator was creating me." Well… Shit.

He continued, not seeming to notice your plight. "I remember him speaking with some of the other Supreme Beings, asking for opinions on me. They're clearer the closer I got to being completed."

You nodded, a smile on your face.

"Ulbert put a lot of work into you; I'm sure that if he were here, he'd be proud of you." Demiurge stopped walking, face flushing a deep red. His tail was going a mile a minute, like a cat who was about to pounce on an unsuspecting leaf. His blush reached the tips of his ears, making the earrings in his left ear pop with color.

"M-my Lady! I am unworthy of such praise—"

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true, Demiurge." You interrupt, placing a gentle paw on his shoulder. "Besides, I'm sure Ulbert would agree with me on this one."

You didn't think his face could get any redder, and yet here you were witnessing it. He placed his face into his hands, to hide his face from you or to try and alleviate his own emotions you weren't sure. It didn't help hide it, since the tips of his ears matched the color of his face. His tail curled itself around his leg, as if to keep it from giving away any more of his emotions. The tip of his tail, however, was twitching like mad. His ears were also gently flicking, as if that alone would alleviate the sheer volume of emotion he was feeling. It was pretty damn cute, which you honestly hadn't expected him to be able to do. Serves you right for only thinking he could be handsome.

"Thank you, my Lady." It took a full five minutes for him to calm down enough to speak. The redness had faded to a nice peach, rather than its original tomato red, and his tail had freed itself from around his leg. He looked up at you, adjusting his glasses as he did so.

God, he was just too cute.

"Shall we continue to your Temple?" You nodded, finally removing your paw from his shoulder.

"Of course." And now it was awkward. Just your luck, you weren't that good at this kind of thing!

You both continued walking; this time, though, Demiurge walked next to you rather than behind you.

You hadn't the slightest clue how to handle it.

You stopped walking, looking at what appeared to be a regular wall within the temple. You, however, knew better. Behind the wall was your temple

"The purpose of all life is living well" You spoke clearly, looking at the wall as you did so. Watched it shimmer into nothingness, revealing your temple.

At a complete contrast to the rest of the 7th floor temple, yours resembled a small stone shrine that was commonly found around Japan. It had a small statue of a fox with Zara inscribed on its stand, as well as three bowls that held certain items. The items in these bowls determined your buffs; the closer the stone bowls were to the edge of the shrine, the stronger the buff. You, at level 100, were allotted three buffs; hence, three bowls.

The room your temple was in had walls covered in a soft green moss, the only gap being a small door in the back where your NPC could sleep. Speaking of your NPC…

"Hello, Lady Zara!" A small child-like voice spoke from behind the shrine, a small head peeking out from behind it. "Is there anything I can help you with today?"

"Yes, actually. Arioch, could you tell me if anything strange has happened to the temple?" Arioch shook his head, shyly stepping out from behind the temple and giving a small bow.

"No, my Lady. There has been nothing strange or abnormal here." Arioch was in his Temple uniform, one common to Japanese shrines. He was, in actuality, an Imp; he had been designed to blend into the population of the 7th floor should it ever be attacked and was the last line of defense between an enemy and your Temple. However, unlike other Imps, Arioch was made to be a kind soul, one fitting to oversee the care and upkeep of the Temple. Even as a Level 1 NPC, you had designed him to be kind where other occupants of the Tomb of Nazarick may not be.

You had also designed him to look young, as if he were a child, to lower the guard of anyone who may try to harm him. After all, killing him sealed players in the 7th floor temple

"Wonderful. Thank you, Arioch." He beamed at the praise, bouncing on his heels as his tail waved slowly from side to side.

"Will that be all, Lady Zara?" God, he was precious. So, so precious.

"Yes, that will be all. When Demiurge and I leave, would you please re-seal the temple?" You saw, out of the corner of your eye, Demiurge straighten up slightly as you spoke his name. The red-ness seemed to be almost gone by this point.

"Of course, my Lady." Arioch bowed again, then turned and began tidying the room to an impeccable degree.

You turned to Demiurge, clapping your hands together.

"So! Momonga called a meeting on the 6th floor; I think we have just enough time to get there without being late. Would you like to walk with me there?" Demiurge nodded, gentle smile back on his face.

"It would be my honor, my lady."


	3. O My Heart

You and Demiurge made your way out of the Temple, headed towards the 6th floor to meet with Momonga and the other floor guardians. The walk was silent and… still awkward. Why was people-ing hard?!

"My Lady… May I ask a question?" You nod, turning your head to look at Demiurge as you continue making your way through the 7th floor. Thank god, something to talk about; kill the awkward silence to death!

"I was wondering why you asked about my memories; was there any particular reason for that?" Well, shit.

You could tell the truth, which he likely wouldn't understand. Or… Partial truth.

Partial truth it was.

"Honestly? I was curious, is all." There; not a lie, but not the full truth. Your ass is now covered.

"I see." You… weren't sure he bought it. At the very least, he didn't seem like he wanted to call you out on it.

Unless he already figured out the rest of why you asked, of course. It made you uneasy, but he was certainly smart enough to figure it out on his own.

"Lady Zara?" Your pulse skyrocketed; you did your best not to let it show.

"Yes, Demiurge?"

"Why did you not choose to teleport to the 6th floor?" Oh. Calm down, Zara, you're not going to have confront your bullshit today.

"I felt like walking. Besides, this floor is my favorite; why wouldn't I want to spend more time here?" You couldn't tell with the lighting of the lava, but you could've sworn that his cheeks tinged red at the statement.

As you rounded a corner, you spotted the entrance to the 6th floor. From what you could hear, Shalltear and Cocytus were already there. As you walked closer, you noticed Albedo waiting near the entrance between the 6th and 7th floors. Odd, but not by much. She was probably there for Demiurge, and—

And you and Momonga changed her character sheet before the reset.

Shit.

 **Message Start**

 **Zara: Momonga, can I ask how Albedo acted when I left?**

 **Momonga: I don't know, can you?**

 **Zara: Ha ha. Come on, man, this is serious!**

 **Momonga: She was very, ah, pushy? Is the best way to phrase it.**

 **Momonga: She's probably going to overwhelm you, so be careful.**

 **Zara: Thanks, man. Come save me if you can tell it's too much, ok?**

 **Momonga: No promises, but I'll do my best.**

 **Message End**

Well, that wasn't too bad, right? You'd dealt with pushy people before, you could handle it!

"Demiurge, Lady Zara!" She smiled warmly, though her eyes were only on you. "I was wondering when you two would arrive."

You were… Already overwhelmed. Since when did solid 10's give you this much attention, anyways?!

Well, that was probably because of the tweaked character sheet… but still!

"Apologies for being late; we were having a lovely conversation and lost track of time." Albedo's attention shifted from you to Demiurge, one delicate eyebrow raised.

You relaxed immediately, safe in the knowledge that her attention wasn't on you for now.

"Is that so?" And the safety is shattered.

You recognized that tone of voice, having heard it far too many times before. You'd dubbed it the jealous hoe voice, and although anyone could use it, it usually belonged to… jealous hoes.

"Yes. Now, we'll be late if we don't head over; you wouldn't want to do that to Lord Momonga." Albedo paused, then nodded. You've been spared for another day.

"Of course not; let's get moving." With that, your trio set off towards the others.

You pretended not to notice how Albedo's stare bored into the back of your head.

"Hey, Momonga." You spoke, drawing attention from him to you. "Sorry we were a bit late; I got a bit distracted on the way here."

"It's fine. You're here now, so we can begin." You stepped away from Demiurge and Albedo, going to stand next to Momonga. Your tails swished from side to side, an act of willpower on your part to appear calm and collected.

You watched as Albedo stepped to the forefront of the gathered guardians. Cocytus, Shalltear, Mare, Aura… The others, you knew, were still guarding their respective floors.

"My Lord, my Lady, we the Guardians pledge our fidelity." As she spoke, she stood tall. You'd have to be an idiot to not believe that she meant what she said with every fiber of her being. After she spoke, the other guardians began to pledge their loyalty themselves while going down on one knee.

First Shalltear, then Cocytus, Aura and Mare, Demiurge, then Albedo once more.

"Other than Victim, Guardian of the 8th floor, and Gargantua, who faithfully guards the 4th, all Guardians have gathered as requested and pledged their undying loyalty. Supreme Ones, we await your orders." Albedo spoke, her gaze solidly on you and Momonga.

For the first time, you realized that you were in over your head.

"You need but to ask of us, and it shall be done."

 **Message Start**

 **Zara: Gameplan?**

 **Momonga: Nope. Gonna bullshit it.**

 **Zara: Cool cool. We waiting to hear from Sebas?**

 **Momonga: Yep. I'll start planning there.**

 **Zara: Tell them you're happy they came and stuff**

 **Momonga: Sounds good, will do. I'm keeping this open while I handle this, save me**

 **Zara: I'll jump in if you need me to, I got you.**

"Raise your heads." All present guardians raised their heads and looked towards Momonga. Already, he was doing a good job. 10/10 job for a desk worker, that's for sure. "I am very pleased that all of you have come."

"Your thanks are wasted on us." Albedo spoke, voice firm with her conviction. The others nodded amongst themselves, agreeing with her. You… weren't sure how to feel about it.

 **Momonga: Sebas is almost back.**

 **Zara: Awesome!**

"We have pledged ourselves to you and live to obey." She continued, oblivious to the messaging going on between yourself and Momonga. "I fear our abilities may not meet your expectations; despite this, we will strive to meet them in honor of the lost Supreme Beings, our blessed creators. This, we vow."

"This, we vow." All the Guardians spoke, so sure in their conviction that it boosted your confidence. Maybe you, Momonga, and the Tomb would be alright after all.

 **Momonga: What do?**

 **Zara: I got it until Sebas is back.**

 **Momonga: Bless you, Zara. Gonna end the message now.**

 **Zara: Sounds good.**

 **Message End**

"Most excellent, our Guardians. I have no doubt that you will do your duties without fail." You spoke, surprising yourself with how calm and sure you sounded. Their attention turned from Momonga to you, smiles lighting their faces. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Sebas. God bless this punctual man.

"Now…" You pretended not to see how their faces fell as you continued, but you needed to hear what Sebas had to say. "At present, neither myself nor Momonga know the situation outside of Nazarick. Because of this, Momonga sent Sebas to survey the surrounding area. Sebas, please share what you have discovered about the world outside of Nasarick."

Sebas bowed, then made his way towards you and Momonga.

"Lord Momonga, Lady Zara, the land surrounding the Tomb of Nazarick is a grasslands."

"Grasslands?" Momonga spoke, surprised.

"Yes, my Lord. It would appear that the Tomb of Nazarick is no longer where it once was."

"Interesting…" You mumbled softly, shutting your eyes to think. You opened your eyes, a decision made.

"Momonga, we need to find a way to hide Nazarick." He nodded, a soft hum of agreement answering your statement.

"Lord Momonga, Lady Zara?" Mare asked timidly. "I-I could, um, hide Nazarick."

"Oh?" Momonga spoke, making Mare shrink in on herself. "Please, share your thoughts."

"U-uhm, well… We could cover the walls with dirt—"

"Absolutely not!" Albedo's shrill voice caused Mare to flinch. "You dare to suggest that we defile Nazarick—"

"Albedo, it's not a bad idea." You shut her down, doing your best to ignore your internal flinch when her eyes turned to you full of tears and sadness. "It doesn't require us to spend gold to maintain, it's simple, and it's a good idea. If you have a different idea, feel free to share it."

Her silence spoke volumes.

"Mare, how long do you think this task will take?" Momonga spoke, sparing you from needing to think.

"No more than a day if I include dummy hills, Lord Momonga." He nodded, plan finalized.

"Then, I have a question for all of the Floor Guardians. Although we do not know why, Nazarick has been transported from its place in the swamps to a vast plain. Did anyone foresee this? On top of this, has anyone discovered anything strange on their floors?"

He received several head shakes of no's to this question, along with some mumbling about needing to do a more detailed check of their floors. You let it go for a moment, before clapping your paws together to gain the attention of everyone in the room.

"Alright, everyone; we need to raise the level of security for each floor by one level. Albedo, Demiurge, work together to develop an overall defense plan for Nazarick. Hopefully, we will not need to use it, but it is best to be prepared."

"On top of this, if there is an intruder, we request you capture them alive at all costs with as little harm as possible. I apologize for imposing this demand on all of you at a time like this." Momonga added.

"My Lord, my Lady, what about the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors?" That gave you pause; you knew that you needed to keep the 8th floor untouched, but the 9th and 10th floors were technically the same. So…

"Entry to the 8th floor is banned unless I or Momonga allow it. Momonga will unseal the path between the 7th and 9th floors. As for the 9th and 10th floors, treat them as one floor in your planning." Momonga nodded, agreeing with your statement. From here, you'd let him handle it; you were starting to loathe the attention. You locked eyes with him and flicked your ear twice. A faint nod in response, and you could mentally peace out as he handled the rest.

"-do not push yourselves too hard." You tuned back in to Momonga, noting all the Guardians nodding to whatever he'd just said. You readied yourself to teleport to your room, and—

"Finally, I have a question for the Guardians. To begin with, Shalltear—what kind of people are Zara and myself to you?"

… What?

"Incantations of beauty. Lord Momonga, you are the most beautiful person in the world. Even jewels pale in comparison to your snow-white body. Lady Zara, you are a soft beauty, like sunsets and starry night skies. While jewels cannot compare to Lord Momonga, pure joy and compassion cannot compare to you." Shalltear did not pause to think of her answer; it came from the heart.

"Cocytus."

"Lord. Momonga. You. Are. One. Who. Is. Mightier. Than. All. Guardians. And. Deserving. Of. The. Title. Of. The. Supreme. Overlord. Of. The. Great. Underground. Tomb. Of. Nazarick. Lady. Zara. You. Are. One. Who. Is. Stronger. Than. All. Guardians. Not. In. Strength. But. In. Heart. And. Soul."

"—Aura."

"Merciful leaders with great foresight."

"—Mare."

"Very gentle people, Lady Zara especially."

"—Demiurge."

"Lord Momonga, you are a wise leader who makes decisions and acts on them quickly. Truly, a man worthy of the term 'inscrutable.' Lady Zara, you are a wise leader who plans before acting. A strong woman who could easily lead Nazarick on her own, worthy of the term 'irreplaceable.'"

"—Sebas."

"Lord Momonga, you are the one responsible for assembling all the Supreme Beings. Lady Zara, you are the one who has truly become the heart of Nazarick, providing compassion where others may lack it. In addition, both of you are the merciful leaders who did not abandon us, but stayed by our side until the very end."

"And finally, Albedo."

"The man who rules over the Supreme Beings, and you both are out highest, most exalted masters. In addition, you both are the man and woman I love most deeply."

… Well shit, not being oblivious about it now. Guilt ate at your heart, clawing up your throat; for now, you didn't have the time to deal with it.

"… I see. I have heard and understood your opinions. Then, I shall hand the tasks that were once performed by our former conerades to you. Carry them on faithfully." And with that, Momonga teleported away.

You looked at the space Momonga had, spacing out for a bit and not noticing the others getting up and beginning to mingle. It was the shouts from Albedo and Shalltear that snapped you out of your absent thoughts, looking around to witness Demiurge, Cocytus, and Mare giving the bickering women plus Aura some room. It didn't take much to decide you were going to pester the boys.

"Ah, Lady Zara. I was hoping you could answer a question for me." Demiurge spoke when he noticed you getting closer to them; you hadn't the foggiest what it was.

"Go for it."

"What is the purpose of Mare's skirt?" Ah. That.

"As in…?"

"Does it serve a greater purpose? Or, something else?"

"Bukubukuchagama said it was because I'm a trap," Mare piped up. "But I'm not sure what it means."

You should have teleported away.

"I, uh… I'm not sure why he gave you the skirt. If I had to guess, it's because he had… special interests."

"Special. Interests. Like. What."

You _really_ should have teleported away.

"Special interests that I won't be bringing up in front of children." That seemed to satisfy Cocytus and Demiurge, for now at least. If you focused on them, you could almost pretend like you couldn't hear Albedo and Shalltear bickering in the background.

"Personally, I would be quite interested in the result of their little tiff." You raised an eyebrow, questioning the statement.

"What do you mean by that?" Mare asked, head tilted with confusion.

"I refer to the increase in our fighting power, the future of Nazarick, and so on." Oh, he wasn't meaning…

"I don't think I understand."

"Any great leader requires a successor, no?" God damnit Demiurge, you didn't want to think about Momonga having kids! "So, which of us will become his successor." So… No kids?

"How. Disrespectful. As. Guardians. We. Are. To. Serve. Lord. Momonga. Faithfully. So. He. May. Stay. That. Is. What. We. Were. Made. For."

You felt… a bit woozy. With a start, you realized something; you'd been awake for about 60 hours. So, that meant…

"Of course, I understand that, Cocytus. But do you not wish to pledge your loyalty to Lord Momonga's heir?"

Shit.

The world became fuzzy, a ringing beginning in your ears as the exhaustion slammed into you like a sledgehammer to the head.

Absently, you heard Mare and Demiurge speak again, watched as they became fuzzy and blurry. They sounded alarmed.

And then, the world faded to black.


	4. Awake At Night

You opened your eyes and saw the ceiling of the 6th floor above your head, but you weren't on the ground; weird. Your vision swam, but you knew that sky better than you thought you did.

Above your head was a reddish and black blob, as well as a yellowish blob. Wait…. Make that two yellowish blobs. Interesting; were they a part of the sky, too?

Your ears were ringing, you couldn't hear much over it.

The world shifted; it was far redder now. You were being… Carried, probably. Who was wearing red earlier?

You didn't remember.

With massive effort, you moved your head, squinted your eyes. The world spun… a bit less. Enough for you to figure out who was currently carrying you.

Classic Demiurge. Such a gentleman.

You rested your head on his shoulder and allowed your eyes to slide shut once more.

You'd be alright.

You'd be…

..

. 

_You slammed your fists into the magical barrier, a scream tearing itself from your throat as the fight ensued._

 _A battle for the end, a battle between Momonga and an entire army. You felt dried tears in your fur, saw yourself on that battlefield next to Momonga._

 _And you saw the things._

 _Large, black objects trampling an army of thousands._

 _You couldn't stand for it. Wouldn't stand for it._

 _And yet, you could see yourself standing there._

 _Standing for it._

 _Tolerating it._

 _And then—_

You cracked an eye open, still sleepy. You felt that there was… Something important, something that you needed to remember, but... It was gone. The harder you tried to recall it, the more it escaped your grasp. You rubbed your paws on your face, letting out a soft yawn, and—

Paws.

Son of a bitch.

You jumped up, darting over to look in your room's full-body mirror, staring at your reflection.

 _Son of a bitch._

Your YGDRASIL avatar stared back, your Kitsune build staring back at you with apparent alarm. Your nine fox tails swishing behind you, matching your agitated state of mind.

It… It was real.

You didn't have to go back home, to your book writing and your day job and your stalkers and—

…

What were you going to do now?

"What the hell…" You stared at yourself more closely, watching as it matched where you moved.

Your face and chest were human in appearance. You had fox ears atop your head, with a hair color to match the ear color. You usually kept your hair in a braid, although right now it was down and long and reached the base of your tails. Your eyes were a piercing blue, a deep blue. Your hands and feet ended in paws, which you could see because you weren't in your usual outfit. Someone that wasn't you had swapped your best gear out for a white and lacy slip you'd gotten as a gag gift from Blue Planet on a particularly wild April Fools server party. He'd intended for it to go to Momonga, but someone had found out and had swapped the gifts. Still funny, though.

You paced through your room, exploring your quarters in a distracted state. You had the bedroom, an attached bathroom, a large closet, an entrance to your main living quarters, and your Panic Room.

Arioch, by design, knew how to get into your panic room and would also know I someone was in there. He was designed to be able to get in in an emergency. The way it worked was simple; you and Arioch could open the door from the outside by touching a spot on the wall. Once inside, you could lock and seal the door. There was a button near the wall spot; if it was pressed, the room alerted you that someone on the outside wanted to get in. You could then choose to let them in, or to press a button that let out a soft ding on the other side of the door, a "go the fuck away" conveyed with a little ding. Usually, it was shut, like now.

With a start, you noticed something important. Something that wasn't supposed to be in your rooms but was.

There, in the arm chair next to your bed, was Demiurge. He was quietly snoring, glasses on the bed's side table on top of a stack of paperwork. He'd swapped his usual suit for more casual clothes, a white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. It was damned cute, but…

How long had you been asleep?

The last time you'd passed out like that, you'd been out cold for two whole days. If it had been about the same, then…

Then he'd been there for at least a day.

Guilt clawed at your throat, leaving a sour taste on your tongue.

There was so much work to do, and he'd been there the whole time. It was more than likely that he'd fallen behind; doing so would've killed him. Yet he'd done it anyways.

Demiurge looked uncomfortable in the chair. His neck was at an odd angle and his tail, you were now noticing, was half underneath him.

This wouldn't stand. He deserved to be in a bed, end of. He'd stayed to make sure you were okay; it was the least you could do.

Gently, carefully, you began to ease him out of the chair and into your arms. He was lighter than you expected; perhaps that was the Imp piece of him, though you weren't certain.

His quiet snoring stopped for a moment, and you froze; you relaxed when it started back up again.

From there, you gently placed him onto the bed. You made sure his tail wasn't at an awkward angle, that his head was on a pillow, before grabbing a throw blanket and covering him with it.

He looked… peaceful. Like the weight of his duties weren't weighing him down, as if he had none and could just relax and breathe. Absently, you ran a paw through his hair, gently smiling at your peaceful protector.

You'd get him this content when he was awake, come hell or high water.

From your inventory, you pulled a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a quick note. You placed his glasses on top of it so that he would see it and padded quietly out of the room.

You swapped your pajamas for a pair of loose pants and a comfortable shirt, supplying a pair of comfy panties and a bra, getting a hair tie to pull your hair back and out of your face. You'd braid it later. With that, you stepped out into the hall, your paws nearly silent on the cold hall floor, as you made your way towards where you guessed Momonga would be.

 **Message Start**

 **Zara: Momonga?**

 **Momonga: Zara! You're awake?**

 **Zara: Yep. What happened.**

 **Momonga: According to Demiurge, you fainted.**

 **Zara: Shit.**

 **Momonga: You've been unconscious for about a day and a half. Insomnia again?**

 **Zara: Yeah… Sorry about that, I didn't think it'd happen here until it did.**

 **Momonga: That's fine. Just… be more careful, alright?**

 **Zara: Will do.**

 **Momonga: Demiurge has been with you the whole time. Was he there when you woke up?**

 **Zara: Yeah. He was sleeping in a chair, so I moved him to the bed.**

 **Momonga: D'aww, so precious.**

 **Zara: Sshshshshsh, don't judge me.**

 **Momonga: Consider yourself judged.**

 **Zara: Screw you, man. By the way, where are you right now?**

 **Momonga: The office.**

 **Zara: Cool, I'm on my way.**

 **Momonga: See you in like 0.5 seconds.**

 **Message End.**

You teleported to the other side of the door, knocking on it to alert those inside to your presence. Albedo opened the door, smiling warmly at you before turning and announcing your presence to Momonga.

You stepped in with a quiet sigh, padded over and claimed a perch on Momonga's desk, and looked at the paperwork he was doing.

It was going to be a long day.

Demiurge's eyes opened, sure now that you were gone.

He couldn't believe it. Yet, there he was.

In your bed.

Because you'd put him there.

He couldn't figure it out; as a Supreme Being, he didn't deserve to use your bed or your space. He'd failed you, had almost let you get hurt when you collapsed, and yet…

And yet you had put him in your bed.

He'd pretended to be asleep when you woke up, not wanting to disturb you in case you were still frightened from your collapse. But then you'd turned and seen him, and—

And you'd put him in your bed, ruffled his hair, and left.

Was it pity? A reward? A game? He didn't know. For all of his intelligence, all of his skills, he couldn't read you. He didn't know.

But he was going to milk this for all it was worth.

He stretched, relaxing into the warmth of your comforter. He was, admittedly, very tired. He didn't _need_ to sleep, but… a small nap wouldn't hurt, right?


	5. Bit By Bit

"Let me catch you up on what you've missed." Momonga spoke, sounding far more regal than normal. It was, of course, because Albedo and a maid were in the room with you two, but you still hadn't expected it.

"Albedo and Demiurge have a first draft of the main defense plan. They would have had more, but Demiurge refused to leave your side while you were unconscious. Mare has covered about half of Nazarick's walls with dirt, and all dummy hills are complete. We have also found a small human settlement nearby."

"You've been busy. There's barely anything left for me to do, huh?" You gently tease, amused.

"Well, I wouldn't say that… Albedo could always use some help making plans. Isn't that right?" Albedo nodded, a large smile on her face. You doubted that that was the case, but it was a nice gesture. "On top of that, we need to figure out how sustainable our operations are and how difficult it is to get rarer materials. Is there anything that you can think of that I may have missed?"

"Has the infirmary been set up yet?"

"I—Ah—"

"Hey, it's fine. You've been dealing with a lot, I'll take care of it." It still hurt, though. The infirmary was your pride and joy, the only room on the 9th floor that you'd gotten to design except for your bedroom. But—

It still hurt.

"Wonderful. Zara…" You raised an eyebrow at him. He seemed to think better of what he was going to say and shut his mouth. "If you need help, please feel free to let me know."

Knowing the infirmary, it would take at least a day by yourself to pull it to where it needed to be to be functional. But, with help…

"Speaking of that; Albedo, if you aren't too busy, would you like to help me with the infirmary?" Both Momonga and Albedo brightened at that, obviously for different reasons.

You were… Going to regret this, weren't you?

"If Lord Momonga no longer needs me here, then I would be delighted to." Her wings fluttered slightly.

You were probably going to regret this.

"I've borrowed you for long enough today; feel free to help Zara with the Infirmary." You got up, making your way towards the office door.

"Oh, Zara?"

"Yes, Momonga?"

"Can you meet me back here in a few hours? There's a few things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Sure thing. Message me if you need me before then, 'kay?"

"Of course." And with that, you and Albedo left the office.

The two of you walked towards the infirmary; you'd memorized the route by heart.

"Lady Zara, it is an honor to work with you in your Infirmary. Perhaps, when it is done, we could… partake in some… extra activities?" Albedo spoke gently, her wings fluttering gently. Her smile was gentle, but you could sense the lust radiating off of her in waves.

But, you supposed, if she insisted on remaining professional in the hallway… You could _try_ to nudge it away from whatever she was implying.

"Well, that would depend on when Momonga needs me. What were you thinking of, exactly?" Great job, Zara. You've done it. No more being hit on for you—

"Whatever you would like, my Lady~" As Albedo's gaze became more lustful than it had been before, you felt your chest tighten and your heart rate skyrocket.

You really, _really_ weren't used to this kind of attention. You weren't sure if you liked it, but it was definitely making you paranoid (which, admittedly, didn't take much). Maybe… Maybe you could talk to her about it?

"I see. For now, let's try to set the Infirmary up as quickly as possible." Smooth, Zara. Smooth as chunky peanut butter.

Albedo nodded, and you pretended not to see the disappointment in her stare. Besides, you were almost there.

You made a left, then a sharp right, and there were the beloved double doors. They were likely still sealed from when you'd set the room up, but still.

You opened the doors with a flourish, looking into your beloved Infirmary.

Your Infirmary was designed to have room for 20 beds, each with bedside curtains. However, there were only 10 of those set up. On top of the beds, there was a large section in the back with shelves designed to hold various healing and various immunity potions. These shelves were mostly empty save for a decorative plant and some old human anatomy and species medicine books you'd managed to get ahold of. It was designed to feel like a modern hospital, but with the added charms of old and classic animated films, like Studio Ghibli. Rather than the Infirmary feeling cold and reeking of cleaning materials, it had a warm and comforting atmosphere and smelled like oranges. There were also two doors on the left side of the room, both still part of the Infirmary. One was a storage closet, where the extra beds and other odds and ends were. The other was an office, a place for any medical staff to calm down and rest.

You clapped your paws together, plan of attack already in mind.

"We need to re-stock the potions for the shelves, as well as set up the other 10 beds. After that, I need to set up a filing system to assess the health of everyone in Nazarick to get a baseline for what their being healthy looks like. With two people, that should take… Maybe three hours but probably four, taking your planning skills into account. Let's see if we can't prove my time estimate wrong."

"Of course, my Lady."

You were excited by the challenge; nothing like hard work to settle the mind!

"Let me go over this one more time; I don't want to have missed anyone."

You and Albedo were sitting at the desk in the back of the room, pouring over the documents scattered over the desk. Currently, you were going over your plans for seeing every single NPC, plus Momonga, to get a baseline for their health. Albedo, with her perfect memory, had made an alphabetized list of everyone while you had made a folder for their health files and stored them in the various filing cabinets. You'd never realized just how many NPCs your friends had made, there were so many of them!

"… You know, we're probably going to run out of paper when I start doing this. If we don't run out, we'll be low enough for it to be a problem…" You rubbed at your temples, staring down at the sheer volume of work you'd managed to create for yourself. You still had to look through you books on the YGGDRASIL diseases, and—

"Of course, Lady Zara. At the rate Nazarick currently uses those items, we may run out sooner rather than later." Albedo smiled warmly, but something felt off about it.

You didn't know what, but something felt… Off. The same kind of off that came with an absurdly hot woman having an extreme interest in, say, an MMO.

It was probably the hotness factor, but still.

"I see. I'll talk to Momonga, see if we can't figure out what to do about it." You stood, stretching and letting out a soft sigh.

"My Lady, perhaps we could take a break?" You blinked. Albedo, Overseer of the Guardians, wanted a break?

Well, her job was plenty stressful; there was nothing wrong with needing a break.

"Sure; what did you have in mind?" Swift and immediate regret. Albedo's face went from calm and professional to lustful and excited. Your calm replaced itself with the discomfort and unease clawing its way up your spine, guilt forcing itself to the forefront of your mind.

Albedo wasn't supposed to be like this.

But you and Momonga had changed her.

"My Lady, I would _love_ to serve you. Oh, should we remove each other's clothing? Or should I undress myself?"

Error 404: has stopped working, please try again later.

"I—Um—"

"Please, my Lady, what would you like me to do? Say it, and it will be done~"

You caught a glimpse of your reflection in Albedo's eyes; your face was redder than Demiurge's suit, and you seemed panicked. You were, but did you have to be obvious about it?!

"I, uh, Albedo?"

"Yes, my Lady?" Her wings were fluttering, as if she were trying to prevent herself from spreading them wide open.

"I-I, ah," How. How do you express that you're a wimp? No-one had ever been this up-front with you about this kind of thing, except for _him_ , and _he_ didn't count.

"I think… If you want to be successful with what you're trying to do… You'll need to be, uh, more… More calm about it?" God, this was embarrassing. How on earth was Momonga dealing with it?

"I see, my Lady." You pretended not to see the flicker of disappointment cross Albedo's face, as well as the happiness that followed it.

After all, you hadn't said no.

Hadn't said no, intentionally.

After all, you and Momonga had changed her. It would be cruel to not give her some hope for something happening; at least, with one of you. However, knowing Momonga's skill with women he liked…

This would be your burden to bear.

 **Message Start**

 **Momonga: Zara, you ready?**

 **Zara: HOLY shit you just saved my ass**

 **Momonga: ?**

 **Zara: I'll explain later, okay?**

 **Momonga: … okay?**

 **Zara: OH! You mind if I check on Demiurge first? He's probably still sleeping.**

 **Momonga: Yeah sure, go for it. Take your time, if you fall asleep holding him then I'm gonna get a picture. Gonna frame it in the office—**

 **Zara: Momonga!**

 **Momonga: It's fine. Go check on him, if you're not here in an hour I'll assume you fell asleep.**

 **Zara: Rude, but okay.**

 **Zara: I won't fall asleep.**

 **Momonga: Yeah, and I'm actually 50 hamsters in a trench coat.**

 **Momonga: Besides, I know how you get when you pass out. Go sleep, we all know you aren't done with that yet.**

 **Zara: uuuggghhh fine**

 **Message End**

"I'm sorry about cutting this short, Albedo, but Momonga has asked me to go rest for a little while longer."

"It's more than fine, Lady Zara. Do you need someone to keep you company?" Albedo batted her eyes, wings gently fluttering.

God, you weren't equipped to handle this.

"I'll be fine, but thank you." Wings drooped, head lowered, guilt guily guilt—

"—But! If you wanted to walk me to my rooms, I wouldn't say no." You are both a sucker and a wimp. Your ancestors are screaming at you for being so easy to manipulate. But… Her being this way was your fault.

"Of course, my Lady. Shall I accompany you inside as well?" Albedo rose from her seat, smiling oh so happily at you.

You could get used to her looking so genuinely happy, even if those moments were between bouts of lust. And your guilt.

"No, I don't think I'll need that. That being said, if Momonga tells you to do it, feel free to just walk in." You made a mental note to message Momonga to tell him to explicitly not do that right now.

"Now, shall we go?" You offer her your arm; chivalry wasn't dead, though it'd work better if she did it. It wasn't your fault that you were five feet tall on a good day!

Her smile, though, was worth it.

"Of course, my lady!" She looped her arm through yours, and you set off towards your rooms.

Maybe… Maybe what you did to her wouldn't be so bad, after all.

"Thank you, Albedo. I really appreciated your help today." You let go of Albedo's arm, standing in front of the door to your rooms with a warm smile. "And please, don't say helping me is your duty; you didn't have to, and you did it anyways."

"I—You're welcome, my Lady." Albedo was barely containing her pure happiness, though the gentle blush on her cheeks gave it away. "Please, let me know if you need my assistance again."

"Will do!" You turned to open the door, then paused. "Oh, Albedo?"

"Yes, Lady Zara?"

"Please, let me know if you need my help in doing your work."

"Of course, my Lady." You could feel the effort it took for her to not protest, not to claim that she didn't need help.

It… It hurt.

Surprising, really. You'd need to figure out why, but that could happen later.

"Thank you, Albedo; that means a lot to me." Ah, there's the flash of guilt in her eyes. Didn't make you feel any better, but now she might take you up on it.

"Night, Albedo." And with that, you opened the door.

To the sound of quiet, almost inaudible snores.

Albedo's face twitched; knowing her, you knew she'd put two and two together for who the snores belonged to.

"My Lady—"

"It's fine, Albedo." She blinked in surprise, both that you'd allow this to happen and at your defeated tone. Still, she deserved an explanation. "He fell asleep in a chair on accident waiting for me to wake up after I passed out. I let him continue to sleep. Don't give him shit for it, okay?"

"… If that is what you truly wish, my Lady." She didn't like it. You knew she didn't like it. Still, as long as she didn't know he was currently in your bed, then she'd listen to what you said.

"It is. Besides, if your positions were swapped and you had fallen asleep, I would have done the same thing." It was the Truth, pure and simple (Including putting her in your bed, though she didn't need to know that). And she knew it.

"Of course, my Lady."

You had the strangest feeling that this would come back to bite you in the ass.

A problem for another day, then.

"Alright. Good night, Albedo."

"Good night, my Lady."

You stepped into your rooms and shut the door, offering Albedo a soft smile before doing so. Maybe…. Maybe you'd understand her better. Bit by bit, you would figure her out; maybe then you'd feel less guilty for changing her.

You padded quietly towards your bedroom, taking a moment to assess your inventory. To your surprise, you had a pair of sweatpants and what you could only describe as a pajama tank top in your stored items. That may have been from that one time you got sloshed and played YGGDRASIL, much to your guild member's amusement at the time.

Still, pajamas were pajamas.

You swapped into them, bra going into your inventory with them, before poking your head into your bedroom.

Demiurge was softly snoring and had rolled in his sleep; somehow, he'd managed to worm his way under your bedsheets to sleep. Maybe a maid had done it, or maybe his tail did it?

Still, it was your bed. And you were going to sleep in it.

You chose not to think about if it was ok, if Demiurge would be comfortable with it, and all those other things. You had to mentally prepare to sleep, especially since you weren't about to pass out from sheer exhaustion.

Bedsheets warm but not too warm—check.

Bedsheets not too heavy but still heavy enough to be bedsheets—check.

Weapon nearby just in case—not check. You searched your inventory, finding a small baton. That'd do, especially since you could actually use it.

Easy path to a panic room—check.

Time to sleep.

With a soft yawn—Momonga had been right, you were just a stubborn fuck—you climbed carefully into bed and tucked yourself into the small of Demiurge's back, threw an arm around his waist. You'd shared a bed with others before; maybe that would help you sleep.

And with another soft yawn and a sleepy nuzzle into Demiurge's back, you drifted off to sleep.


	6. Do I Want To Know?

Demiurge woke up slowly, groggy and confused. He'd been watching Lady Zara, and then…

And then he'd pretended to be asleep.

And she'd put him in her bed.

And—

He kept his eyes shut, controlled his breathing so that he'd appear to be still sleeping, alarmed and concerned.

What if you yelled at him? What if a maid saw him in here? His image couldn't maintain that! He was supposed to be cool, calm, collected, not sleeping in the bed of a Supreme Being just because he'd gotten tired! What if—

A warmth tucked in his arms stirred, immediately pulling him from his thoughts. There was no way…

And yet, when he opened his eyes, he was proven wrong yet again.

It was you.

You, with your mess of hair, ears tickling his nose, tails wrapped loosely around his own. Your head was on his shoulder, the tip of your nose just barely touching his neck.

When did _that_ happen?

Still, he wasn't going to move. Mustn't move, rather. You'd fallen asleep in his arms; it'd be a sin to wake you before you were ready.

He stayed awake watching you, seeing how relaxed and content you were. It made him feel… He wasn't sure, but it made him feel something. Pride, perhaps, that out of all the creations of Nazarick you'd chosen him to hold while you slept. He wouldn't trade it for the world.

After what felt like a blissful eternity, you began to twitch. He watched with rapt attention as your blissful sleep became anything but. His concern grew with your every twitch, every whimper. He had to wake you up, but wasn't sure how.

"…no, please…" He froze. You… Were you awake, perhaps?

No, that wasn't right. You were… talking in your sleep. Time for drastic measures—

"No, don't…" You whimpered, paws curling tight into Demiurge's shirt. "… on't hurt 'em…"

He gently shook your shoulder with his free hand. Maybe that would wake you up?

"on't…. no, on't… stop…" Your claws pierced little holes in his shirt.

His heart ached. He couldn't protect your from this.

"Zara, Lady Zara, wake up!" He whispered, shaking you a bit harder. Whatever your dream was, it wasn't pleasant.

"Lady Zara—"

You shot up like a rocket, pulling Demiurge with you through sheer force. Your body trembled, your eyes open as you stared straight ahead like a deer in the headlights.

"… Lady Zara?" His voice startled you, by the twitch that ran from your head and went down your spine.

"… Demiurge?" He vowed to never be the reason for your tone of voice, to protect you from whatever had caused it. You sounded so broken, so fragile, so… So hurt and damaged, that it made him wonder what on earth had hurt you so badly.

As you threw your arms around him, tears he hadn't realized were there soaking his shirt, he vowed to protect you from this. No matter what it took, he'd do it.

You deserved the best, after all.

* * *

"Morning, Momonga." You cheerfully spoke, perching on the corner of his desk. Albedo was out doing… Something, so it was just you and Momonga.

"It's technically the afternoon, Zara." You rolled your eyes, blowing a raspberry at him.

"What'd you want to talk about yesterday?"

"A couple of things. Nothing major, but still."

"Well… Go for it."

"I want to see what the world outside of Nazarick is. How it's different, what has changed, so on and so forth. I was… Well, I was hoping you would stay here while I do it."

Hell no. You would go batshit if you were stuck in here.

"You and I both know I'll go stir-crazy if we do that."

"I know..." Ass.

At least he'd asked you about it first.

"What if… What if, we do something like that, but one of us isn't required to be stuck in Nazarick. No, shush, let me finish. Like, if we had an off-site or two, we could still go there? It'd take us longer to go nuts, at the very least."

"You're still going to go nuts."

"Yeah, but this way it'll take longer, and we can deal with it then. That, and I figure if I want to go for a walk or something outside of Nazarick then one of the Floor Guardians would accompany me. So I should be fine. Sound good?"

"… For now, yes." Awesome. You could now go frolic in the woods with Aura or something, maybe you'd find some elves for the twins to play with.

"Zara… I have to ask, are you doing okay?"

"I mean… I think so. Why?" Where this came from, you had no idea.

"Well…" He paused, then continued. It was almost as if he wanted to ask about something else. "You passed out. I just wanted to make sure there weren't any lingering effects from that, y'know?"

"D'aawww, you're such a softie. But yeah, I'll be fine. Besides, if I ever get that tired again, I figure I can put on one of those rings that just make it so you don't need to eat and sleep and whatnot." Which, admittedly, wouldn't work. You liked food too much for that.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Mhmm! But I'm also right and you know it~" You stick your tongue out, thoroughly amused. "What else did you wanna talk about? Or was that it?"

"I think that's it… Oh! I wanted to ask if you'd be okay if I had everyone call me Ainz."

"Ainz as in Ainz Ool Gown? As in, the guild's name?"

"That's the one."

"Why?"

"If I spread the name of Ainz Ool Gown, then maybe… Maybe, if anyone else from the guild signed on when the clock shifted over and they ended up somewhere else, they'll find their way back here. Back to us." You found yourself nodding, seeing his point of view.

Then.

"Momonga, what if… What if _he_ shows up? He was batshit enough to try to get in here by himself in YGGDRASIL, what if he does it again?" A chill ran down your spine, fear stabbing into your heart like an ice pick.

"… Shit, Zara, I didn't think of that." Momonga flashed green—you'd ask later.

"I—It's okay, Momonga. Just… Be careful, okay?" The fear would eat you alive, sure. It always did whenever _he_ resurfaced. But who were you to stop any of your old guild-mates from finding you here?

"I will be, Zara. I promise."

You doubted he'd be careful enough.

"Is this all you wanted to talk about, Momonga?" You needed to think. Hell, what you really needed was a drink, but it wasn't late enough for that. Plus, you were pretty sure you could still get drunk.

"… Yes, that's it for now. Though…. I was hoping you'd want to look outside of Nazarick with me tonight? Sneak out and see what the world looks like?"

God, you wanted to say yes. You really, truly did.

But you also wanted time to go cry.

Crying was winning.

"How about we rain-check that for tomorrow? You can go look right now, though, don't let me stop you—I have to hunt down my flight charm from my inventory."

"If… If that's what you want, Zara."

"It is. I'll beat you in a flying race tomorrow, how's that sound?" God, you hoped your smile didn't look as fake as it felt.

And, if Momomga could smile, you were sure he would be.

"Yeah… Sounds fun. But, you're going to lose."

"Mhmm, sure you will. Now, if you'll excuse me, Albedo asked for my help with… Well, I'm not sure. Something about paper and math, I was in a bit of a rush to get here." Freedom!

"Have fun with doing math, then."

* * *

You ran your hands over your face, breathing deep. Don't cry. Not here, not now.

You had shit to do.

And by shit, you meant…

You knocked gently on the door in front of you. If you were lucky, you could say you tried and then run away-

"Lady Zara! Thank you so much for coming!" Albedo ushered you into her office, a sweet smile on her face.

Her office was attached to her rooms by a side door, but the room itself was cozy. It was fitted with a desk, two bookshelves filled with books, several filing cabinets, and a small baby-blue sofa set complete with a coffee table and matching rug.

"It's no problem, Albedo. What can I help you with?" You found yourself relaxing, but only slightly. Your conversation with Momonga ran through your head on a loop, over and over and over again.

God, you hoped Albedo could take your mind off of it.

"Well, Demiurge and I were hoping you could double-check our math for Nazarick's average consumptions of goods and make sure they're accurate. We were also hoping that you might shed some light on how to fix some of these issues, as we also calculated how long it would take to run out based on average consumption."

God bless you, Albedo.

"Well… I haven't used math like that in years, but I'll see what I can do." It should all just be algebra and statistics; not the hardest math. Not for the first time in your life, you thanked the fact that you were a huge nerd that got an engineering degree, and cracked your knuckles in preparation. "Now, where's the math?"

* * *

Momonga watched as you slipped out of the office, a sigh leaving him as he did so. If he had a face, he wouldn't have noticed the frown on it.

This was…

Concerning.

Before the meeting, Demiurge had requested a quick chat. Which was odd in of itself, but the chat itself was more worrisome.

"I know this may not be my place, my Lord, but it seems that Lady Zara is… Troubled. Due to what, I do not know. However, I figured it best to inform you, as she would not tell me what troubled her."

"Oh? What led you to believe this?"

"She… had a nightmare, my lord. About what, I don't know. She wouldn't tell me."

"… I see."

And yet, she seemed completely normal.

Hell, even her panic over _him_ was normal.

But, what did that mean for her? He knew she didn't spring back that quickly, so…

Why didn't she tell him?

"You're thinking too hard on this…" He muttered, running a skeletal hand through his nonexistent hair.

* * *

"You guys didn't account for a daily fluctuation, right?"

You were calm. This… This was okay. You'd be fine.

"Yes, my Lady, we did not."

"Alright. So, if we assume that for paper consumption, an average fluctuation of plus or minus about 50 papers per day…"

* * *

He knew Demiurge, and likely the other floor guardians, didn't know about _him_. _He_ wasn't something you liked to talk about in YGGDRASIL; hell, you'd only brought _him_ up to let the guild know that he might try to pay a visit.

The fact that you may be right about _him_ being in this world… It made him uneasy.

Really, really uneasy.

But you'd said he could go by Ainz, so you didn't mind… Right?

Even with his own blindness, he knew that that wasn't the case. But he didn't have any other ideas, either.

* * *

"So, that's the day range you guys should be giving to Momonga. He works better with ranges like this, since then he knows the earliest he has to start caring about all of these issues. Knowing him, he'll start planning beforehand, but he's got plenty of time before he has to care about basic papers."

"Wonderful, Lady Zara! I would expect nothing less from a Supreme Being."

"Thanks, Albedo. Though, Momonga is worse at math than I am, so if you decide to do some really complicated stuff you'd be better off with me giving it a once-over."

"I see… Perhaps my Lady could show me some of that more complex math? After all, we can take a break now~"

Albedo was in your face, wings fluttering.

You were.

You were not okay.

Not anymore.

* * *

With a heavy heart, he teleported into his rooms. He had experiments to run and the outside of Nazarick to explore.


	7. Girls Like Her

Albedo blinked, confused by your sudden disappearance. Had she done something wrong? You'd looked so… Frightened.

And then you were gone.

"… Perhaps… Perhaps I am going about this wrong." She didn't want to believe it, but she would be an idiot if she ignored the evidence staring her in the face.

It seemed that Demiurge was your favored Guardian. Even though she had first spoken to you and Lord Momonga no more than three days ago, it was obvious that there was favoritism at play. Of course, favorites could be changed at a whim, but perhaps something else was afoot.

Were you not interested in her?

No, that wasn't the case. You and Lord Momonga had made her feel this way, so you must feel the same. Besides, in the Infirmary, you hadn't told her no. Just… to take it easy. And she had! She hadn't flirted once while you had gone over math, only after.

Yet, you had left without a word.

Maybe she _had_ done something wrong. Perhaps you had meant something else by telling her so…

Gosh, her Supreme Beings were so confusing!

Maybe the problem wasn't her. Perhaps Momonga had asked you to keep her for himself—

Well, she wouldn't mind the attention and love of both the Supreme Beings, so that was also doubtful. Doubtful, yet plausible.

She made a mental note to ask about it later; if this was the case, then perhaps Lady Zara was simply trying to prevent her from being punished.

And there was no way the problem was with you, she was sure of it. As a Supreme Being, she was made to serve your every need! Any problem you had, she could whisk away. Including those from… Whatever world had existed before YGGDRASIL. She remembered every word she'd been told and had heard a great many things about her Supreme Beings in her time there. Perhaps the problem was something she'd overheard, but that was unlikely.

Which meant that the problem had to be something else.

Shalltear, while a bitch who was trying to steal Lord Momonga from you, had shown minimum interest in also stealing you away. The twins weren't interested in you that way, and neither was Cocytus. Sebas… A maybe on her list, though she doubted it.

Which left only Demiurge.

Demiurge, who seemed to have Lady Zara's favor from the beginning. Who hadn't been punished for slacking on work, who had allowed himself to _sleep_ rather than work! The nerve! It had her fuming, and yet her beloved would have done the same if they were swapped.

Her Lady was truly kind… Still, it didn't stop her from wanting to tear Demiurge's throat out. Laziness is for the damned, the stupid, and the truly favored. And, as far as she was aware, Demiurge was none of those.

Well, at the least, she couldn't say he were the latter two. But, if he was truly favored… She didn't want to think of it. While she was willing to admit defeat in some things, she would not loose her mistress's favor to the likes of him.

If it was a challenge he wanted, it was a challenge he'd get.

It was time to call on some backup, get some advice in these scant few moments of free time. She couldn't ask Shalltear or Demiurge, wouldn't for love or money. Matters of the heart were not for the whims of the detestable, after all. Perhaps Sebas…

Yes, Sebas was the logical person to ask about such things regarding Lady Zara. After all, when you were making your Infirmary all those years ago, you had summoned Sebas instead of her. Perhaps he had some insight that she didn't.

Now, to see if he was free for a chat later today. After all, she had to see Mare's progress on the walls of Nazarick for herself.

With a smile, she stood and made her way through the halls of Nazarick. If she bumped into Sebas on the way to check up on Mare, then so be it!

* * *

Sebas heard the delicate click of heels on the tiled floors before their wearer was close enough to speak to him. He had been making his rounds of the 9th floor when he'd stopped in Lord Momonga's office to set up a scrying mirror as per his Lord's request. He had other duties, but a quick chat with Albedo wouldn't hurt. Especially if she had more duties for him to do from one of the Supreme Beings.

"Hello, Albedo; is there something I can help you with?"

"Not particularly. Though, there was something I wished to ask you…"

He tilted his head. Albedo rarely asked questions, let alone questions of him. Whatever it was must be important.

"Of course. If there is anything I can assist with, please let me know."

Albedo tilted her head, tapping a delicate finger to her lips as if lost in thought.

"I am certain that you recall things our Lady Zara discussed while creating her Infirmary, yes?"

What an odd question.

"Of course I do. I assume there is a reason you've asked me about this?" He could, of course, share some of the things his Lady had shared with him.

However…

"I was wondering if she ever spoke about any relationships she may have had?"

"She did. However, I was asked not to share this information."

"I see… Then could you, perhaps, let me know of any issues she may have told you about? I'm… concerned, that she may still be worried about them."

A sensible request. And yet, any problems from YGGDRASIL would be no more, as they were no longer there.

That being said…

"I… believe there may be some things of that nature, yes. However… She has asked me to share none of them. I apologize, Albedo; all I can say for certain is that none of them are about you."

Albeda's smile faltered, if only for a second. Were he anyone else, he would have missed it.

"I understand. In that case… If you feel it is important for someone to know or if it negatively affecting Lady Zara, please consider informing Lord Momonga or myself."

"Of course, Albedo. The safety of the Supreme Beings comes first. Is there anything else you need from me?"

"No. Thank you, Sebas; our conversation was very… Enlightening."

"Anytime, Albedo." He paused; he could share… Something. He would rather not have this conversation again, if he could help it. "Perhaps… if you are interested in gaining the affection of Lady Zara, you should start by wooing her. It is, after all, traditional."

"I see!" He watched as Albedo seemed to appear lighter, almost as if gaining this tidbit of knowledge was making her float with joy. "Thank you, Sebas. I shall take your advice into consideration."

And with that, he watched as she made her way down the hall.

He hoped that his Lady would understand.

* * *

Mare focused, amplifying his magic to aid in quickly disguising Nazarick's walls. His job was important, after all; if monsters, humans, or anyone else stumbled into the area, Nazarick had to look like just another hill.

He was so focused on his work that he didn't notice the two figures in the sky.

"Oh!" He barely managed to not squeak as the figures landed near him. A man in a large suit of armor and… Demiurge?

There was really only one person the armored figure could be, based on the lack of tails.

"Lord Momonga!" He halted his magic and darted over, unable to stop the soft smile that rose on his face due to this surprise visit.

"Why are you here?" A thought, a bad thought, and the smile was gone. "Oh no… Did I do something wrong already?"

"Not at all, Mare."

* * *

Albedo was in the air, hair flowing gracefully as she searched for Mare on the wall. Her mind was filled with Sebas's words, causing her to do loop-de-loops in the night sky.

Wooing Lady Zara! A treat unto itself, truly! Should she start with flowers? No, Zara deserved far more than that… Oh! A ball on her birthday, perhaps, would be proper woo-ing. How exciting! Maybe one day, she could bring her beloved the heads of her enemies; that would be wooing, indeed!

It was surprising she hadn't thought of it herself; then again, she had been expecting Lord Momonga to do the same to her. Perhaps she had accidentally applied that to Lady Zara as well.

It was not a mistake she would make again.

Her eyes landed on Mare, happy thoughts of wooing Zara replaced with annoyance.

Mare had stopped working, but his work was unfinished. She had half a mind to tell him off before she saw who he was speaking to.

"Lord Momonga…" Her beloved.

With Demiurge.

Red filled her vision, and—

And she had to calm down.

As far as she was aware, Lord Momonga wasn't gay. There was no way her beloved was interested in the likes of Demiurge.

She watched a flicker of green appear in her Lord's hand, saw how flustered Mare seemed to be. Whatever this gift was was likely far too large a reward for Mare's work, yet…

Yet it seemed her beloved insisted.

She watched as Mare took the item and slipped it on a finger—

No.

She flew closer, now able to pick up the conversation.

"—I'll work extra, extra hard for the honor of Nazarick! I'll be worthy of this gift!" She could just barely make out the ring Lord Momonga had given Mare. It was…

"I'm depending on you, Mare."

It was a ring of Ainz Ool Gown.

"Yes! By the way, my Lord, I was wondering; why are you dressed like that?"

She had to land, now; if Mare was worthy of such a gift, then wasn't she?

"Ehm—"

"It's simple, Mare." She landed with a grace and gentleness befitting one of her status. She had landed just so, moonlight on her back and illuminating her best features.

"Albedo." Demiurge didn't seem surprised by her appearance. No matter—She knew it would be easy to have her Lord Momonga favor her more~

Still, she had to ignore him to make a point, both to her beloved and to Mare.

"It's for our sake." She approached the trio, positioning herself to appear more elegant and composed than normal. "He didn't want to bother any of us while we were working. It's like a disguise." She passed Demiurge intentionally, stopping only when she was next to her beloved. "If we knew he was here watching us, we'd stop working to praise him. If that happened, then nothing would get done. Isn't that right, Lord Momonga?"

It took more willpower than she had to not flutter her wings at the sight of her Lord Momonga. Even in armor, he was still a rather dashing man. Perfect, in her eyes.

"As expected of Albedo. You knew exactly what I was thinking." The praise made a slight, ever so faint blush appear on her cheeks. Nothing noticeable to dear, impressionable Mare, but still. He knew just what to say, didn't he~

"I'm leader of the Floor Guardians, my Lord, but I am certain that even without that title, I certain that I would still be able to sense your thoughts and feelings as if they were my own."

"Is that so?" The moonlight glinted off of Mare's ring, and—

Ring.

Ring finger.

What the hell was her beloved thinking?!

"Uhh—"

"Is there something wrong, my Master?" She hadn't… expressed her feelings about that ring, had she?

No, there was no way.

"No. Right then! Mare, sorry for interrupting you. You may return to your work now."

"Oh, sure. I'll get right on it, Lord. Please excuse me." And with a bow, Mare—and that damned ring—meandered back to finishing the walls of Nazarick.

"Albedo, I should give one to you as well."

"Give me one? Of what, Lord?" As if she didn't know what he was talking about! She didn't want to be second-rate to a child! First Demiurge with Lady Zara, and now this!

"This will make your work as Administrator of the Guardians much easier. Use it wisely." Lord Momonga procured another ring, like the one he gave Mare. She… Wasn't sure how to feel.

As she took the ring, she stared at it. She couldn't be mad, not after such a gift, and yet it felt second-rate. Cheap. For no other reason than Mare had gotten one first.

Perhaps that was because her Lord had seen Mare before her when he'd made the decision to give the rings out. Yes, that was it! She wasn't second-rate to her beloved after all!

"Thank you very much~" Her wings did not flutter, but she hoped all her love was properly conveyed. After all, there were heathens watching; she couldn't afford to be nearly as forward as she would have liked to be.

Her feelings, joy and happiness and love and lust, swirled around; she found it hard to speak. Her beloved had such a way with her~

"I, ah, work diligently!" Of course she would! She would work harder than anyone else if it meant her beloved kept her in the forefront of his mind.

"Demiurge, I will prepare one for you at another time." Victory! She was the favorite! After all, surely her beloveds had spoken to each other about who was worthy of such an item!

"I understand, my Lord. I only hope that one day I can prove myself worthy of such a treasure." She would make it her goal to not allow that to happen. Come hell or high water, she would remain the favorite!

She watched as Lord Momonga spoke, unable to comprehend the words any more with her rush of emotion; when he teleported, so did she.

She had some… Self-loving to do. After all, as the favorite of both the Supreme Beings, she deserved it.

After that, though?

Planning to woo Zara.

She was going to get her beloved, even if she had to embarrass herself in the process.

* * *

Demiurge worked hard. That was an undeniable fact. Out of all of Nazarick, it was unclear whether his or Albedo's work was more important. At the very least, it was at the top of the list for work that needed to be done.

And yet, he couldn't focus. But, it was for a good reason.

All his plans had to be changed, tweaked, altered for a greater goal.

" _The most enjoyable thing now might be taking over the world."_ The words echoed in his brain, doing loop de loops and swirling through his thoughts like a bird in flight.

That his master would grant him the pleasure of knowing the end goal for all of Nazarick was an incomparable reward, second only to seeing that goal to the end. If he were a lesser being, he was sure he'd be jumping for joy right now. Hell, he just might anyways.

Sure, Albedo and Mare had gotten gifts in the form of rings, but he had a greater treasure. No-one else knew of Lord Momonga's plans except for perhaps Lady Zara, and yet he was the first to know.

He had to work, re-work, triple-check all of his plans. If the world was to be successfully taken over, he would need to try and guess his Lord's plans. Did he plan to kill all of the creatures that inhabited the world? No, of course not; there was no point in ruling a country, a planet, if there was nothing left to rule.

Perhaps his lord was planning on starting small.

What he was certain of, however, was that it would all be revealed in due time.

His Lord and Lady would see and know all of the hard work he put forward, proving his worth to Nazarick and to them.

That was, of course, if he could just focus.


	8. Out Of The Black

"You figure out that mirror yet?" You pad over to Momonga, grin on your face. You'd been taking turns trying to get it to work for the past day, and you'd taken your break to go and change into clean clothes. Now, instead of wearing yesterday's clothes around, you were in loose and comfortable clothing. Hooray for Hoodies!

Of course, Momonga thought you'd been sleeping. 36 hours awake for the win!

"Zara, I swear to god—Oh, no, wait…" Momonga moved his hands, scene in the mirror shifting to where he'd directed it to go. "Got it. You owe me… God, what did we even bet?"

"Five bucks."

"Yeah, I owe you that."

"Awesome. Show me how you did it." You plop down on the arm of Momonga's chair, watching the scene on the mirror with interest. It was a green, lush forest; very pretty and perfect for hiking, in your personal opinion.

"Yeah, okay. You just… Move your hands like so," He demonstrated, moving his hand and having the mirror scroll through the landscape. "And when you bring it back in, it stops."

"Oh, cool! Let me try, scoot." You nudged his hands away from the mirror as you gave it a shot, scene in the mirror moving as you did. However, it moved slower for you; damn you and your tiny arms!

You scrolled over a rooftop—

"Momonga…"

"Yeah, there's a village there. Aura found it yesterday, it's a human village. It's… Oh, about a kilometer or two from here?"

"It is two and a half kilometers from here, Lord Momonga." Sebas corrected from his position at the edge of the room, tidying as he did so.

"Thanks, Sebas." You smiled warmly at him; he was, in your personal opinion, one of the most loyal NPC's of Nazarick. That, and he could keep a secret; lord knows you'd spoken of some deep shit around him when you'd built your Infirmary.

Momonga and you watched the village life for a bit, watching the people go to and fro like ants in a terrarium, before a panic arose.

"Momonga—"

"I see it, Zara."

The village was being attacked by men in blue. They were cutting down men, women, children, who had done nothing wrong; it made you sick to your stomach.

You watched as two children ran out of the village; you raised your paw, following their trek through the woods. Watched as the girls ran out of energy and could run no more.

"… My Lord, my Lady… will you go help them?" You jumped; how the hell had Sebas gotten behind the two of you so quickly?!

You looked to Momonga and nodded. He nodded back; good to see you were on the same wavelength.

"Yes, we will."

* * *

You stepped through the portal with Albedo in tow, your armor firmly in place. Your eyes softened at the sight of the two girls; based on the blood on the back of the elder girl, she'd been stabbed. A sword through the back had to hurt.

Instinctively, your healer's passive skill switched on. You could see the health and mana of everyone in its range, race replaced with a name if you knew it. It also told you the overall level of the person you were looking it.

A quick glance at Momonga confirmed that he was doing just fine; his mana had gone down a bit, but his HP was untouched. You turned your attention back to the children, assessing the damage. Absently, you heard Albedo and Momonga quietly speaking; about what, you didn't bother listening to.

The older girl, the one at about Level 5, had lost about 15 of her total 30 hit points of damage. The younger, a puny Level 2, had obtained no damage.

"Are you two alright?" The girls blinked, then looked at you. Your tails were hidden under the long coat you wore, but your ears were plainly visible for all to see.

"I—um—" The eldest stuttered, before shaking her head. She seemed rather sweet, even with a sword wound. "I mean… We aren't being attacked anymore, so…"

"What's up with your ears?" The youngest piped up, pointing and staring from over her sister's shoulder. "Are you gonna eat us?"

"Nemu, no! I'm so sorry—"

"Nah, I get that a lot." You spoke with a laugh, crouching down and fishing a healing potion out of your inventory. The girls flinched—Right, your mask. Oops. "I just got unlucky when someone tested a potion on me. Here, drink this; it's a healing potion." As you hold it out for her, you tilt the mask up, beak and all, to reveal your mostly humanoid face.

Hopefully, you excuse was plausible.

 **Message Start**

 **Momonga: Really? Faulty potion?**

 **Zara: You have a better excuse?**

 **Momonga: … No, but what if they know better?**

 **Zara: If they take my potion, they don't.**

 **Momonga: Bullshit they wouldn't, it's a free health potion!**

 **Zara: But stranger danger though, can't forget Stranger Danger.**

 **Message End**

"Oh, thank you!" The eldest spoke, taking the red potion with trembling hands. It was a rather weak potion, but it was more than enough to heal the damage she'd taken. She uncorked it, drinking it down as her face screwed up with disgust—guess medicine still tastes nasty, no matter where you are—and watched as her eyes widened and the pain went away.

"Can I touch your ears?" Nemu asked, eyes full of childish curiosity; now that the pain and danger were gone, she was far braver.

"No can do, kiddo; I've got to get a move on if I'm going to be much help with the others that've been hurt in your village. Maybe next time." Nemu's eyes shined, in a way that promised she'd remember that if you ever saw her again.

You stood, slipping your mask over your face.

"Before you go—can we know your name? I—I'd like to know who saved me."

"Ainz." Momonga spoke, placing a skeletal hand on your shoulder. "The name of the person who saved you is Ainz Ool Gown."

He cast two spells in quick succession—protection spells for the girls—before explaining what they were to the girls.

"As long as you remain inside the range of the spell, you will be safe."

And with that, the three of you made your way towards the village.

* * *

"Zara—"

Momonga was salty. So _incredibly_ salty. You were supposed to stay while he went out, and yet here you were. Not doing that.

"No, I'm going with you. Nazarick will be fine, and I want to help them." Your speech was slightly muffled behind your plague doctor mask, yet your stance was firm. He could feel the glare coming from the eye holes; it was a fierce one at that, based on how your ears were damn near flat against your skull. "Besides, what if you get hurt?"

"What if _you_ get hurt?! Your HP is far lower than mine—"

"And I can immediately heal myself. I'll be fine, Momonga, really." He didn't believe that, not for one second.

"If you're coming, then Albedo is guarding you and not me." Albedo twitched, but he pretended to not have seen it. Better for everyone if Albedo was going after Zara and not him, right?

"I don't _need_ babysitting, I'll be fine!"

"Are you coming?"

"Yes—"

"Then Albedo is staying with you. And that is final." He pretended not to hear your muttering, and instead proceeded through the village towards his Death Knight.

* * *

When Momonga went off with the village chief, you clapped your gloved paws together to gather the attention of the village's residents.

"Alright, everyone: I'm a healer, and a damn good one at that. The faster I get to the folks that might not be dead, the more people won't die. If you guys can help me do that, that'd be great."

The huddled group rose to their feet, looking uneasy. Sure, Momonga had saved them; how much more would it cost them for your assistance.

You sighed softly; you needed to get your hands on a better mask or something.

"Ainz is sorting out the details with your leader; right now, I just want to help as many of you as I can. Sound good?"

You received nods; that was… a start.

"Alright. Worst wounded first, then the least wounded. Albedo?"

"Yes, my Lady?"

"See if you can't help them bring the worst injured here."

"Of course."

You rolled your shoulders, making your way to where you were sure the fighting had happened. Your passive skill let you take note of the injured—there were many, but most had lost barely 5 hit points—and made a beeline towards the handful whose hit points were dropping rapidly as time passed.

* * *

You stepped into a small house, easing around the kicked-down door. It was barely a house, more like a hut than anything else; the thatched roof had holes, letting the light in to reveal its occupants.

The first was an older woman. Her hair appeared a dull grey in the dim lighting, poorly masking the stains of what you knew was blood on her skirt. This woman had most of her hit points intact. Hiding behind the woman was a young boy, no older than three. However, your attention was taken by the younger woman who had her head in the elder's lap. This woman, not much older than Enri, had been stabbed through the stomach. Her original 30 hit points had dwindled down to 5. And were still dropping, likely due to blood loss.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm a healer; I'm here to help." You murmured quietly. The older woman—the younger's mother, most likely—looked to be a deer in the headlights. She was probably in shock, if you had to guess.

Was shock a status affect in this world? Or was it proper physical damage?

A quick glance to the woman's health bar revealed the truth; under her name was a small note: {Status Effect: Shock}.

Interesting.

You took a step towards the two women, making the mother her blink. The younger, however, panicked; she tried to squirm away from you, as if you were the executioner and she were the damned.

"Easy there, kiddo." You spoke softly, gently, careful to not step on the intestines and gore that littered the area around her. It was a horrifying sight, yet you weren't horrified. Just mildly disgusted due to blood on your shoes. It was… something to think about, later on. Probably something to think about when not sleeping got hard.

"I'm here to help. Yeah, that's right, just settle down there. I'm going to put my hand on your head, okay?" You placed your gloved paw on the girl's head, silently casting a sleep spell. As she lost consciousness, you cast a 4th tier healing spell: [Healer's Blessing]. If any of the townspeople asked, you'd just say you learnt it in a book.

The girl's wounds shrank, her intestines curling up and re-entering her body with a sound like slurping spaghetti. Once all internal organs were back in place, her skin healed back over itself with little fanfair. Based on the damage, you suspected the spell would leave some sort of mark, some sort of scar; yet, when you checked, there was no such mark.

Interesting.

The mother looked at you in shock, tears beginning to streak down her chin.

"It's no problem, ma'am. She'll be asleep for a day to kick-start the body doing the last of the healing. She'll be sore, but she'll be alright." You offered her a smile in these trying times, before remembering that your mask was still in place.

Oops.

"My Lady," Albedo poked her armored head into the home you'd entered, head tilted at an angle that shone the sunlight into the room and saving you from having to handle a weeping mother thank you for saving her child. Which wasn't a bad thing, just something you couldn't handle due to the attention on you. "The villagers have gathered the rest of the mostly injured in the square. There is, however, one man that they refuse to move."

"Take me to him, Albedo."

"Of course, my Lady." Albedo entered the home, picking her way carefully though the blood splotches, and—

And scooped you into her arms, bridal style.

"Albedo! Put me down!"

"This man doesn't have much time, my Lady; you would not make it to him if you walked."

"Fine—" As Albedo whisked you away towards your next patient, you couldn't help but to hide your head in your hands. Thank god for your mask; you didn't doubt for a second that if your blush was visible, she'd never stop carrying you places.

You'd really need to think about why you were being embarrassed right now, after seeing so much gore.

* * *

The second man was…

Well, he wasn't all in one piece.

You'd guess he was alive by sheer determination. He was a middle-aged man, one who had just started balding. He was, however, in three pieces.

The sadistic son of a bitch that did this to him was, you hope, dead.

This poor man not only had his intestines strewn about the dusty ground, but had both an arm and a leg removed. Hacked off, most likely. Had this man fought back, perhaps?

Albedo set you on the ground, and you immediately got to work.

"Albedo, place his arm and leg back where they need to be." Your 4th tier go-to would heal the hit points; would it also reattach limbs, or just heal the stumps?

"Of course, my lady."

You were thankful you hadn't brought your staff; it made all of your spells flashy and take more time, which you didn't have.

The man was unconscious, which you counted as a blessing. You could pretend to be a far weaker magic castor than you were.

"[Healer's Blessing]."

The man's intestines pulled themselves back into him, dragging dust back with them; however, the dust was spat out of the hole once it was all inside again. You looked at the limbs, curiosity taking over.

What was once a bloody leg stump with flies already circling about turned into a seamless stump, with flesh healed over it. The arm stump was in the same condition.

Then, the new limbs sprouted out.

First looking like children's limbs, the new limbs began fattening up and elongating. It was as if you were watching the years pass through this man's life through his new limbs, watching them go from skinny bean pole limbs to properly thick and strong muscles.

It was fascinating.

"Albedo—"

"I understand, my lady. What shall I do about it?"

None of the villagers had been around to witness the magic. They didn't need to know you'd accidentally regrown an man's limbs; they could just assume you'd reattached them.

Which, of course, wasn't something you could do if the extra limbs were still here when they arrived.

You picked up the limbs, tucking them away in your inventory. For now, that was the best place for them. Perhaps one of Nazarick's NPC's would like them?

"When we leave, let me know who would get the most use out of these. I'd rather not keep them in my inventory for much longer."

"Of course, my Lady."

You stretched, flicking some blood off your gloved paw as you did so.

"The rest of the villagers that need healing are in the town center, correct?"

"Yes, my Lady." You could feel the smile in her voice; it was met with a smile of your own.

"Lovely. Let's make them owe us, shall we?"

* * *

You spotted Momonga leaving the Chieftan's home from your circle of Villagers; were he any shorter, though, you'd have missed him.

"—and I can't thank you enough!" The mother of the young woman you'd saved wept, tears of happiness streaking unabashedly down her cheeks.

"It's no problem, ma'am, really—"

Albedo's hand gently clapped your shoulder, drawing your and the villager's attention to Momonga's approach.

"All is well, I assume?" He asked, face hidden behind his mask.

"Of course. Unless there's others I haven't found, everyone is healed."

"I see. As much as I hate to burst the bubble for this… There has been a group of armed military men approaching this village."

"I see…"

The villagers huddled around you, faces firm.

Apparently, healing people from the brink of death made people protective over you. Who knew!

"It'll be alright, Lord Ainz; we won't let anyone touch a hair on her head." One of the villagers spoke up, the father of the girl you'd saved. You flicked your ear twice; as much as you liked helping, you really loathed the attention that came afterwards. This was too much, even for you.

"I'm not worried about that. However… Albedo?"

"Yes, my lord?" Her hand tightened ever so slightly on your shoulder.

You could already guess what was coming next.

"Could you bring Zara back to our, ah, our camp? As much as I don't doubt your ability to protect her, I'd feel better knowing she was out of harm's way."

"Of course, my Lord. I shall return as quickly as possible."

You'd given your signal and he got you out.

And yet…

Why did you feel so guilty for leaving? For _needing_ to leave?

"Let me know if anyone gets hurt; I'll return as quickly as possible." You piped up, standing firm.

It was more for the villagers than for you, but still.

"Of course, Zara." And with that, Albedo whisked you out from the group of villagers and away from the village.

By being carried bridal-style again, of course.

* * *

You stepped through the Gate, removing your mask as it snapped shut behind you. Albedo had stayed behind in order to assist Ainz; he'd be fine, truly. Based on what you'd seen, it was likely that nobody was a very high level at all.

"Hello, Lady Zara." Sebas spoke, offering a kind smile from his position in front of the mirror. You could see Momonga speaking to one of the new armed men; hopefully, they were there to protect the village. "Did you do what you wished to?"

"I did. Let me know if anyone else gets hurt, please."

"Of course, my Lady. Is there anything I can assist you with?"

A pause.

There was, but…

You weren't brave enough for that yet.

"No, but thank you."

And with that, you left the room. To stay awake by being busy, or by overthinking, you didn't know.


	9. Panic Room

It was Hour 48 of No Sleep.

The clock was ticking, and you were not sleeping.

"—And since shock is a negative status affect, what else might be? Can colds? The flu?" You were pacing, running your hands through your hair as you rambled. "What if there are status affects that can't be blocked anymore?"

If you kept yourself distracted, you wouldn't sleep.

And since you were in the passing out from exhaustion phase, staying distracted was critical.

"I'm not sure, Lady Zara." Shalltear replied, an eyebrow raised. "Though, you seem… Stressed."

One of Shalltear's vampire brides stepped forward, murmuring something softly into her master's ear. You were far too focused on your own thoughts to pay attention, though based on Shalltear's frown it wasn't good.

"And—and what if Ainz can get sick now? What kind of diseases are new in this world?!"

"Lady Zara, perhaps it may be better to focus that energy towards research?"

"I would, but I'd end up using all of the paper in Nazarick, and there are other things that need it more…"

Shalltear tapped a finger to her lips, thinking hard. Or, maybe she was pretending to think hard. You didn't know.

"Perhaps it's time to try and solve that issue. I won't claim to be the smartest, but it can't be _that_ hard to make more paper."

Shalltear is now your favorite. More distractions from sleepytown junction!

"You're right; it's just a matter of trial and error for plants, figure out which fibers work best for paper…" And you were off to pacing again, mumbling and muttering as you went.

Shalltear watched you with worried eyes; you didn't seem to notice.

* * *

Watching her Lady pace a hole in the floor was concerning. More than concerning.

What was more concerning, however, was that it was obvious why you were pacing.

It didn't take an idiot to figure out you were procrastinating on something. And, with your passing out in the middle of her debate with Albedo, it had her concerned. So, she called the cavalry.

As far as she was aware, you'd listen to Ainz, Albedo, or Demiurge if they asked you to sleep. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries, even though she'd hope you'd listen to her and do it. Even so, she knew you'd just leave her and go pester Mare or Aura. She wasn't stupid, just… Naïve. And, since Demiurge was obviously winning in obtaining your affections, it was time to level the playing field.

"—Shalltear?"

She snapped out of her distracted musings to see you staring at her.

"My apologies, my Lady; it seemed I was lost in thoughts of my own. Would you please repeat the question?"

"… I, ah, I'd asked if you had any ideas about handling the paper problem?"

"Oh!" She beamed, lighting up; she could be helpful! "Human skin makes perfectly usable parchment! Perhaps farming them would be the easiest way to get plenty of paper."

"I—uhm—"

"After all, leather is sturdy. Perhaps skin is the same way?" Oh, it was a brilliant idea!

It was probably one that Demiurge had already had, but still. She'd told Lady Zara first, so she got the credit!

"You… may have a point there. Although, I think it'd be better to test humans later…"

* * *

Albedo's shoes clicked down the hall, a frown on her dainty lips as she read and re-read the message.

 _Albedo,_

 _Lady Zara seems to have been awake for longer than is safe and seems to be distracting herself to try to not sleep. I worry she will faint again. If you have the time, please come and make sure she is doing okay._

 _~ Shalltear_

Why would Lady Zara do this? It simply didn't make sense. It was bad for her health, and yet she was still doing it.

That was, of course, if Shalltear was to be believed.

Perhaps Lady Zara simply didn't like to sleep? But, if that were the case, her beloved ought to use a magic item to whisk the need away.

It didn't make sense.

Maybe it was the gift she'd left her beloved. She'd hate for it to be in poor taste, but she'd thought it was a lovely gesture. Then again, if Lady Zara was refusing sleep, it may not have been seen yet.

She… hadn't taken that into account.

"Albedo?" She blinked, clearing her thoughts.

"Yes, Demiurge?" She wanted to spit his name like poison, but she had an image to maintain. It wasn't her fault that he chose to compete in an unwinnable battle for her beloved!

"Are you alright?" His face was unreadable, though she wouldn't put trying to read the note past him. Lady Zara was hers, after all; it wouldn't do for him to get in the way.

"Yes, I am. Why, pray tell, do you ask?" His mask slipped, for all of a moment; distaste and displeasure were hidden behind his usual calm and calculating exterior.

"You didn't hear me the first time I said your name; it's abnormal behavior for you."

Oh.

Well then.

"My apologies, then. I was simply lost in thought, thinking about my _beloveds_." She beamed, a smile so bright it would blind the sun; she truly loved her Supreme Beings.

"I see…" Demiurge adjusted his glasses; she suspected that it had more to do with giving him a momentary reprieve from talking rather than needing them adjusted.

"Perhaps it would please them if you worked harder, rather than getting distracted thinking about them."

"Of course." Fuck you, Demiurge. "I just can't seem to help it; after all, I was made this way~"

That got a reaction out of him. Ever so slight stiffening of the shoulders, a minute pause in the movement of his tail; she had him. He couldn't say shit to that; she'd been made to love her Supreme Beings, to wed them. He had not.

Which, clearly, meant she was the favorite.

"I am aware. If you don't need my assistance with your work, then I should be off. I've a meeting with Lord Momonga, after all."

"I understand completely; don't let me keep you waiting."

Now was likely a good time to see how her beloved was doing, yes?

* * *

"—and what about getting higher-level paper? Wait, what about Nazarick's food supplies? That won't last forever…"

You were still pacing.

Still distracted.

Still 100% needed to sleep.

But you wouldn't, not if you had any say in it.

"Lady Zara, perhaps you should discuss this with Demiurge or Albedo? As much as I love hearing your beautiful voice, they would be of more use for this." Shalltear sat, curled up on one of her floor's many couches, eyeing the new worn spot in the floor Zara had made. You let out a soft sigh, giving up on your pacing and claiming a seat next to Nazarick's True Vampire. You curled yourself up into an impressively small ball, tails wrapped around your arms for their fluffy warmth.

"… I mean… I could. I should, probably."

"Is something the matter, my Lady?" Shalltear looked at you, eyes wide with concern. You… really ought to watch your tone when you got this tired.

You never would, though. It required too much thought.

"… Yes and no." There was no easy way to explain your guilt over Albedo. Or how she acted around you made your insides churn, reminding you of—

Well, speak of the devil and she will appear.

"Hey, Albedo." You waved from your spot on the couch, listening to the soft click of Albedo's heels on the wooden floorboards of the third floor. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, you know I couldn't stay away from you, my love~" Her wings fluttered gently, eyes only for you.

You weren't awake enough for this.

"Albedo, you could stop being so forward. Lady Zara needs to be properly wooed!" Shalltear spoke as she shifted, draping her petite body across your lap with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Oh? And how would a child like yourself know that?" You blinked; Albedo's pleasant tone hadn't changed, but you'd be damned if that wasn't the most insulting thing you'd ever heard from her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shalltear continued, as if she weren't actively draped across your lap. "I wouldn't expect a cum dumpster like yourself to know, but if you'd been paying attention you'd have seen her get _aaaalllllllllllll_ tense when you tried to flirt. Emphasis on tried, mind you~"

You wanted to hide from… Well, from whatever this was going to end up being.

"Shalltear, do try not to be so rude; you're on our Lady's lap, after all. It'd be a shame if your impudence caused her to loathe you."

"I'll be fine. Besides, if Lady Zara wasn't comfortable, she wouldn't let me stay."

You didn't like this, not one bit.

Your chest felt tight. Weird, but… You'd be alright.

Probably.

"Yes, but she could _also_ be letting you say because you didn't ask if you could and she's kind."

"She wouldn't let me stay if she didn't want it, Albedo~"

Your head felt light.

"Not necessarily; Lady Zara is incredibly kind, you know. For all you know, you could be taking advantage of her." Albedo claimed the spot next to you on the couch, wing draping across your shoulders.

Trapped.

You were trapped, trapped, trapped…

Your chest really hurt. It made you think of _him_. And what _he_ tried to do to you.

"Me, take advantage of a Supreme Being?! I would never; though, it's something _you_ seem well-versed in."

Shit, were you breathing?

"Is that truly something you believe? To accuse _me_ , of all people, of taking advantage of my beloveds?!"

No, you weren't. You should, though.

Discretely, you started breathing again. You were hyperventilating, but still. Better than nothing, right?

Just focus on breathing correctly.

In and out. In… and out…

"What're you going to do about it, huh? It's not my fault that a cheap one-and-done like yourself thinks you have an ounce of a chance with our Supreme Beings!"

It wasn't working. You tried harder; you had to get your breathing right, get your chest to stop hurting.

In and out. In and out.

You felt tears prick the corners of your eyes; hopefully, neither Albedo nor Shalltear would notice.

"You take that back! They changed me so that I would love them to the fullest; maybe they just wanted me more than they want you!"

You stopped focusing on their argument; you had to get your breathing normal. In, out, in, out—you weren't fixing it, were still hyperventilating.

In…

Out…

In…

Out…

…

Nope, not fixed.

This was bad. Really, _really_ bad.

In the background, as if you were hearing through television static, you heard Albedo and Shalltear yelling. It seemed they weren't done their argument yet, though both were possessively clinging to you.

Trapped.

You shut your eyes. If you could only focus on the breathing, you could fix it!

In…

Out…

Your heartrate was too high. Too high, breathing too fast, too high.

Trapped.

In.

Out.

In. Out.

Trapped. Trapped, trapped, trapped…

 _Him_.

InOutInOutInOutInOut You needed to breathe properly—

You teleport away, moving clumsily in what you hoped was your room.

InOutInOutInOutInOut—

You touch a spot on the wall, stumbling your way into your panic room.

It locks behind you.

No-one to see your shame.

InOutInOutInOut Your heart was going way too fast, you had to calm down had to breathe—

* * *

Arioch twitched, pausing his work on the temple.

Instinctively, he placed a hand over his heart; yes, that made sense.

Someone was locked in the Panic Room.

"Odd…." He focused, setting his broom aside to place both hands over his heart.

 **Message Start**

 **Arioch: My Lady, are you alright?**

 **Arioch: … My Lady?**

 **Message End**

That was… Not good.

It was you in the panic room. And, from what he could sense, you weren't doing so well. His heart clenched; he hoped this wasn't because of something he'd done.

It probably wasn't, but he could still hope.

He glanced at the broom; should he go to you, or should he contact Lord Momonga? He would be able to open the door, but Lord Momonga was likely the wiser option.

Now, he had never seen Lord Momonga. But, Lady Zara's health meant this was necessary.

He took a deep breath, and focused.

 **Message Start**

 **Arioch: Lord Momonga?**

 **Momonga: … Who is this?**

 **Arioch: My apologies, Lord Momonga. I am Arioch, Lady Zara's creation.**

 **Momonga: I see. My apologies for not seeing you yet, Arioch.**

 **Momonga: I am in the middle of a meeting with Demiurge; is there a reason you contacted me?**

The moment of truth. Guilt ate at his insides, but he didn't know what else to do. He had to tell someone; his creator needed help! 

**Arioch: Lady Zara is currently locked in her Panic Room. I believe she may be having a panic attack of some sort, though I do not know for certain.**

 **Momonga: I see… I will be there at once. If I need you to unlock the door, I shall let you know.**

 **Arioch: Of course, Lord Momonga. Could you… Could you let me know how she's doing?**

 **Momonga: Of course. Now, I must be off; if Lady Zara is as you say, she'll need help.**

 **Message End**

He let out a deep sigh, hands still clasped over his heart. What if… What if Lady Zara did not like his informing Lord Momonga?

It was done, though. Even if she were angry at him, getting her help was more important than his personal happiness.

With another sigh, he scooped the broom back up and continued his work.

He wished there was an offering he could place at Lady Zara's shrine that would help her at this time.

* * *

Your hands were clawing at your throat, red welts and spots of blood left in their wake; you needed air, needed to breathe, needed—needed _something_.

Hiccupped, stuttering sobs echoed in the small space. You'd pressed yourself into a corner, needed the stability. Now, though, you regretted it. Your limbs didn't have the oxygen needed to get out of the corner.

Distracting yourself hadn't worked to fix the breathing, the panic that had crawled up your spine and swallowed your heart.

Hadn't chased the thoughts of _him_ from your mind.

But not breathing properly hurt. Maybe, maybe fighting fire with fire would work?

Tentatively, you moved your head. And slammed it back into the wall.

Pain colored your vision, and your breathing took a backseat.

You did it again.

And again.

And again.

It didn't fix your breathing.

Your eyes filled with the image of Him; smirking, over you—

You clawed at your eyes, if you couldn't see you wouldn't see him—

Your weak sobs turned into wails whenever you had the oxygen.

First, your legs froze up.

Then, your torso.

No.

Arms, head, fingers; your breathing slowed to a crawl.

Panic settled into your bones like a blanket.

You couldn't handle this. It hurt so badly—

For the first time in many, many years, you wanted to die. Would have killed yourself right there and then, if you could move.

You lay still, catatonic, unable to truly calm down. Your heart was beating faster than it ever had before, but your body refused to respond to you. You had to get up, had to do _something_ to stop the pain.

Someone scooped you up—don't let it be _him_ , please god—and settled you onto a bony lap. Skeletal fingers combed through your hair, and the world shined green.

It—It wasn't _him_.

It was Momonga.

Shame mixed with the panic, more tears than you thought you could cry leaking from your eyes like a broken faucet.

This was your price to pay.

You heard him, faintly; was he singing? Just talking to you? You didn't know.

You felt your body sinking, fading, fear stabbing your heart and consuming your brain.

The world went black.

* * *

Shalltear and Albedo stared at the spot Zara had just occupied, screaming match cut short by the disappearance. They stared for a long time, confusion buzzing about their skulls.

Albedo broke the silence.

"… Perhaps we should save this for a different time."

"Agreed."

Neither would speak the thought at the forefront of their minds, but both knew the other was thinking it.

 _What did we do wrong?_


	10. Save My Soul

_It was raining when you darted into your home. Even with your umbrella, you'd still managed to get soaking wet. With a huff, you slid the lock and leaned against the door._

 _What a day._

 _You'd gone to two signing events, managed to forget to do your groceries, and it started pouring between the house and your car._

" _Well… It's done for now." You'd run a hand through your hair, getting up from the door and making your way into your kitchen. Your cats, Meatball and Refrigerator, needed to be fed._

 _As you grabbed the cans of wet food from the cabinet, something caught your eye. Something… Something that wasn't a cat had moved in your living room._

 _Your heart jumped into your throat; your neighbor was home and had your spare key, but she was sweet as sugar and wouldn't enter the home except to feed the cats._

 _Had she forgotten to lock it?_

 _No, you'd needed your keys to get the door open._

 _So… That didn't explain who it was._

 _You set the cans onto the countertop with a soft clink, grabbing a knife from the block of utensils before easing your way into the room. Your eyes scanned the room. TV, untouched. Coffee table, untouched. Hell, your laptop was on the sofa where you'd left it last night, and your Dive Gear was how you'd left it. All seemed normal. Meatball was lounging on the back of the couch, Refrigerator was curled up at the top of the cat tree… Nothing was amiss._

 _And yet something felt Wrong._

"… _Meatball, did you move the curtain?" Meatball looked at you, offering no answers. Refrigerator was asleep, so it couldn't have been him. The curtains rustled in a gentle breeze, window open slightly to let some fresh air into your home while you were gone._

 _You toed towards the window, the dark of the room causing shivers to go up your spine._

 _You reached the window, knife in hand, and—_

 _And nothing._

 _You shut the window, latching it shut before patting Meatball's head._

" _You'd tell me if someone was here, right Meatball?"_

 _You got a meow in response, Meatball pressing his head into the palm of your hand._

 _With a heavy sigh, you head back into the kitchen and put your knife back in the knife block. Maybe your work was catching up to you, after all… It's what you got for writing horror romance, after all._

" _God, I'm going crazy…" You chuckled, going back to the canned cat food. "Maybe Alex was right; writing these books can't be good for me."_

 _The soft squeak of a shoe on the kitchen floor was your only warning._

 _He forced you against the countertop, one arm going around your throat in a chokehold and the other going to grab your boob. You let out a strangled scream—it was shockingly loud, considering his arm was around your neck—and tried to fight back. Elbows into his ribs, hands trying to claw his eyes out, anything._

 _But you weren't that strong._

 _He sank his teeth into your ear, another scream tearing from your throat. Your hands turned to his arm, pinching the skin between his thumb and forefinger hard enough to draw blood._

 _He let out a yelp, tearing a chunk of your ear off as he released you, only to slam you into the floor._

 _You hit your head on the counter top on the way down, vision going blurry and fuzzy._

 _You were on your stomach, he was on your back._

 _He grabbed your wrists, pinning them behind you._

 _Slammed his free hand into your head for good measure, blood pooling under your nose and mouth._

" _You're too pretty to be writing horror stories…" He mused, combing a hand through your bloodied locks. "Let me give you something to write about, hmm? Something to remember me by."_

 _His hand went to your waistband—_

* * *

 _Hand Waistband No No No Hand Shoulder-_

You sank your teeth into something, the hand on your shoulder removing itself once your jaws released, copper on your tongue. You pressed your back into something hard, something firm and sturdy.

Safe.

Touch, taste, smell—you were awake.

You rubbed your eyes, looking around the room in a panic as you scrambled to press yourself into your headboard. Not Home. Not Old Home. Not _Him_.

You focused on the people surrounding your bed, blinking to force yourself to focus.

Albedo, clutching a bloody wrist with tears in her delicate eyes.

Momonga, glowing green as his red pupils flickered between you and Albedo.

Sebas, already removing his gloves to apply pressure to the wound.

Demiurge, calm smugness replaced with blatant shock.

Through the door, you could make out the heads of Aura and Mare, Cocytus and Shalltear.

Were you on display like an animal? A monster?

Was this how you would lose them all?

You were really, _truly_ , too tired for this.

Sound seemed fuzzy, distorted. You knew the others were talking, could see their mouths move; yet, you weren't hearing. It was like you were watching people talk through a bus window, or like trying to talk underwater to tell the elephants on land that you loved them.

Put simply, it didn't compute.

You put your head in your hands, paws clawing ever so slightly at your eyes. Guilt welled up inside of you, boiling your self-loathing and panic into an inferno.

Guilt dripped from your hands and into your lap, coiling in your gut like a cat prepping a bed. Familiar, comforting. It was clear, with a hint of red; you clawed to hard, it seemed.

You deserved it, though.

Gentle hands touched your shoulders.

You did not flinch, but you wanted to.

A soft, whimpering wail managed to pierce the veil and stabbed into your soul.

Who was that hurt? Who sounded so… So _broken_?

Had you hurt Albedo that badly? Damaged her happiness, her joy, by causing her pain?

The wail increased in volume, but only slightly.

Skeletal hands grasped at your paws.

"—ara, Zara please—"

The wailing…

The wailing was coming from you.

You freed your paws from your eyes, looking up at the people surrounding you. Your vision was blurry, but you could still see some things.

Momonga looked as genuinely worried as he could, even with his continual green glowing. Albedo looked like she was about to burst into tears; she already had a stray tear trickling down her cheek. Demiurge stood next to Sebas, had placed his hand atop Sebas's one on your shoulder.

In a room full of people who cared about you, more than your own family, you were alone.

Truly alone.

You closed your mouth, forcibly silencing your wail. You didn't deserve their pity, their love, their anything.

Hurting Albedo was proof of that.

You freed a paw from Momonga's hands, reaching gently for her. You couldn't speak—if you opened your mouth, you were sure you'd start wailing again—but you had to apologize.

You'd bitten her, for Christ's sake.

She should hate you after that.

But you knew she wouldn't.

Hesitantly—god, it hurt to watch—she placed her unharmed hand into your own. You didn't know how to express your guilt, your sorrow, your _shame_ ; but you had to tell her you hadn't meant to hurt her.

Your eyes welled with tears, ones you couldn't blink away. You pressed your forehead into her undamaged hand, a faint whimper piercing the silence of the room.

This was _your fault_.

* * *

"My apologies for calling you all here on short notice." Her beloved spoke softly, a breath of fresh air for her whirring mind. "I felt that this meeting was… important."

Albedo nodded, casting a glance behind her to her lovely's living quarters; Cocytus simply couldn't fit into your bedroom, and as such remained out in your living room. Shalltear stood next to him, concern plastered on her delicate cheeks. Mare and Aura stayed with him; to keep him company or to keep Shalltear away from her, she didn't know. Demiurge, Sebas, Lord Momonga, and herself were in the room.

Momonga paused, looking towards the prone figure in the center; Abledo looked as well. Her beloved, Lady Zara, nestled under a particularly soft-looking blanket. Zara's soft face, framed by pillows and blankets, ears relaxed and content. It made her heart soar, seeing her beloved so content and relaxed.

Which posed the question: why were they meeting here, especially if Lady Zara was sleeping? … Did something happen to her beloved?

Guilt coiled in her stomach, snaked its venom into her heart. If something had happened to her Lady Zara… Then it was her fault

"I am not sure what Zara may have told any of you," Albedo snapped out of her thoughts, focusing on her beloved. "But she had… some sort of panic attack no more than half an hour ago." She flinched; it was her fault. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the other guardians having similar reactions. She caught Shalltear's eye, nodding slightly to her.

It was _their_ fault.

Somehow, they'd have to make it right.

Lord Momonga continued, pretending to be oblivious to their reactions.

"I am aware of what may have been the cause of it. I am sure that, regardless of what may have triggered it, that it is not what many of you may believe. If I am right, then it… isn't something she would like me discussing."

"My Lord…" Demiurge spoke softly, concern overriding his voice; it was a breach of is normal façade, but she found she didn't care. "Is there anything we can do about this?"

She found yourself, along with the others, nodding in agreement. Your beloveds shouldn't be in pain, it was her duty to keep them safe and happy.

And she'd already failed.

"That, I do not know. It's why I called you all here. Zara is… Touchy, per se, when it comes to this particular issue. While I won't make any decisions involving her without her input, I would ask you to be… Gentle, with her. She is likely to be fragile for the next few days due to this…"

Albedo blinked, turning her focus from Lord Momonga to her Lady Zara. She could have been wrong, might have mis-seen it, and yet—

You twitched again. A small twitch, but a twitch nonetheless. Your ear flicked, your nose scrunched up; were you waking up?

Her eyes flicked around the room; all eyes were on Lord Momonga. All eyes, except for Demiurge and Sebas. They had seen you twitch as well, their eyes flickering between your sleeping form and her beloved; by now, it was a matter of time before you woke up. Perhaps sooner than expected. Or, perhaps, it was simply a nightmare.

She hoped it was the former.

Lord Momonga did not seem to have noticed. In fact, he'd continued speaking.

"My Lord," She hated to interrupt, truly; but this was important. If what Lord Momonga said was true, then she wouldn't be surprised if her beloved Lady Zara woke up… agitated, to say the least. "Lady Zara seems to be waking up." She placed a hand on your shoulder as she spoke, confusion over what appeared to be fur appearing on your face masked away. "Perhaps it would be best to continue this in a different room."

"I understand your concern, Albedo. However, Zara will likely sleep for several hours. She must simply be having a bad dream, is all." Demiurge twitched; something to question him about later. However, her beloved had noticed the twitching.

Lady Zara began to appear more animal-like, features slowly shifting to be more fox-like; it was strange. It wasn't like her beloved was in any danger-

Nightmare. _That's_ why Lady Zara was transforming; you were shifting, perhaps instinctively, to your higher attack power form to protect yourself from the dream. It was a definite bad sign, for sure.

"I see. Then, perhaps it might be best to give her space." Albedo spoke, placing a hand on and gently squeezing your shoulder to try and comfort your dream self.

And that was when you woke up.

A growl rumbled in your chest, your eyes open but not seeing as you struggled against blankets. Your face elongated in mere moments into a snout, teeth sharpening into fangs. Pain erupted from her wrist as teeth sank into her flesh.

She didn't _understand_.

Your teeth scrape the bones in her wrist, snapping tendons and severing muscles.

You bit her. Had she… Done something wrong?

She pulled her hand off your shoulder as if it were a hot iron, tears welling up in her eyes.

And then.

You.

Let.

Go.

She heard the others talking, but all she cared to see was your form on the bed.

Watched, as your eyes scanned the room, unseeing at first.

Saw you shatter, as you understood what had happened.

Sebas took her hand, pressing his gloves on the wound to halt the blood. She gently shook his hands off, applying pressure to the wounds herself. Couldn't he see that you needed the attention, the care, the gentleness, more than she?

She, who hurt you, deserved none of this.

Perhaps she deserved to be bitten.

Your face returned to its normal state in a moment, your head going to your hands. Tears, tears that she couldn't whisk away, dripped from your covered eyes and into your lap.

All thought, all processing, was whisked from her mind the moment the mournful wail started.

She had never heard someone sound so… Broken. So broken, battered, beaten… Defeated.

A Supreme Being shouldn't be making a noise like this. It meant that everyone—every floor guardian, every maid, every roach and cricket and mouse within Nazarick's walls, had failed you. Even Lord Momonga, with his infinite wisdom, would be hard-pressed to say he hadn't failed you; she was sure of it.

She couldn't hold you; you'd made it very clear her touch wasn't wanted. She glanced to Sebas, eyes pleading; he placed a comforting hand on your shoulder for her. She didn't even care when Demiurge followed suit; this was just one of those times where they'd be in agreement.

Blood mixed with your tears; her heart broke. A single tear trickled down her cheek, one she couldn't will to remain inside any longer.

Her beloved broke the spell, the trance her lovely, broken, Lady Zara seemed to be in. He took your paws, infinitely gentle with his concern. "This is not your fault," he seemed to say. "We love you," he seemed to say. "We're here for you," he seemed to say.

Evidently, it was what Lady Zara needed to hear.

You pulled your paws from your forehead, letting them rest limply in Lord Momonga's hands. Silence permeated the space, echoed through her heart and soul.

Albedo hadn't expected you to do… this.

You were mad at her, surely. You'd _bitten_ her.

And yet, you were requesting… Requesting her.

She placed her hand—her unbitten hand, she wouldn't sully your blankets with her blood—into yours. Perhaps… Perhaps she was to be punished again, for daring to harm her darling?

You pressed her hand to your forehead, your tears just barely dripping to her fingertips.

Was this… An apology?

A faint whimper echoed in the silence, shattering it like a mirror.

It was an apology.

Immediately, the others began gently speaking, as if talking would get you to respond. However, your attention was solely on her.

"I understand, Lady Zara. You do not need to apologize to me." She managed to speak, weakly wiping at her tears with her bloodied hand. She'd readily admit to crying, though she hadn't the foggiest when she'd started.

"I forgive you."

There has to be a better way to do her job; Lady Zara shouldn't have to feel this way again.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, guys! If you have any questions, buring desires, or any inquires about the future of this fic and it's canon divergence, leave your reviews with questions here! I wanted o do a QnA for you guys, since Archive Of Our Own gets updates first; think of it as a special update for you guys 3**


	11. Author's Note 1: How Q&A's Will work

Hello, everyone! I interrupt your Zara-based content to talk about the upcoming Q&A chapter!

I'll be pulling questions from wattpad (yes, this fic is also posted there) as well as here to make one cohesive Q&A chapter. Questions can be directed to certain characters (Zara, Demiurge, Ainz/Momonga, and Shalltear, for example) or to me, the author! Any questions without a clear indicator as to who they are for will be assumed to be for me (unless an addendum comment is added to state who the question is for, mind you).

Thank you all for your patience! I can't wait to see what you all have to say or what burning questions you guys have! No questions will be unanswered, even the spoiler-y ones (okay, maybe not the uuber spoiler-y ones, but still)!

Love, Wheatley (The Author) 3


	12. Q&A 1

Hello, everyone! I was planning on having the Q&A questions be addressed to the characters, but it seems like you guys only had questions for me! Maybe we'll get some others for them next time :3

Also, as Fic Announcements: I'll be writing this fic in 1st person from here on out. I'll be going back and editing chapters to be in the 1st person as well, plus adding some details and maybe a scene or two. So keep your eyes peeled for that, but I'll mention it in the latest update when I do it.

Anyways, without further ado, here are the questions I got thus for from you guys (in no particular order)!

 **Where does Zara get her fondness of Demiurge from?**

Without getting too spoilers-y, Zara is fond of Demiurge both because her beloved friend Ulbert created him, and because she really likes interesting characters. I'd like to think that some of Ulbert's inspiration for Demiurge's appearance came from a new year's eve party where Zara and Bukubukuchagama got very drunk and discussed at length what makes a guy physically appealing with sources (and then they swapped to what makes women attractive to women, but that's a story for another day), but that's up in the air for now. That being said, I'd like to think that, when Demiurge was originally being created, Zara and Ulbert and sometimes Tabula talked about how to make compelling characters at great length whilst collecting materials for their respective OC's.

 **How tall is Zara?**

Zara, in the "real world" is 4'11"; however, in YGGDRASIL and the new world, her height is now somewhere between 5'1" and 5'4". I haven't quite nailed down her height just yet, but it'll be 100% confirmed before chapter 20 of story content (hopefully).

 **Why did Zara name her cats Meatball and Refrigerator?**

She adopted her cats from an animal shelter as kittens. I'm not sure if you guys are aware, but vet staff name kittens weird names like trash can and lint to prevent themselves from adopting the cats (and that doesn't always work!). So, when she brought them home, the names stuck, since that's all they would respond to. They're both Maine Coons and very fluffy!

 **What's Zara's name in the "real world"?**

Zara was originally designed to be a reader-insert character with the unfathomable name of y/n, but since I'd rather her be more solid of a character I've decided to spice it up a bit and give her a real name. I haven't picked one just yet, BUT it will be revealed later on once I do! Rest Assured, she's getting a real name… Rosaline sounds like a good one for her, but we'll see ;P

 **Who is the guy that hurt Zara?**

This is some BIG spoilers, but basically, he's **[REDACTED]**. So yeah.

Shitty guy, really.

 **How did Zara get into YGGDRASIL?**

She started playing the game after she moved to Japan and settled into her new home and job. She needed a hobby that let her practice her Japanese without people knowing who she was, so that's what she picked!

 **What does Zara do for a living in the "real world"?**

Zara is an English teacher in a Japanese school. Yes, while the world DOES take place after the "real world"'s World War 3 (a fact that gets dropped in the light novels but not in the anime), English is still the predominant language. She learned Japanese and speaks it fluently now!

 **Why does Zara not sleep?**

Zara doesn't sleep due to past trauma. While this trauma is slowly healing, it is still trauma that affects her daily life. Really, she should just put on the magical item that prevents needing to eat and sleep, but that's something she considers cheating. And, while her new form requires less sleep than your average human, it's not by much.

 **How does Zara feel about being trapped in YGGDRASIL / The New World?**

She's got her ups and downs about it. Really, she's not sure what happened to the "real world" and if her cats are alright; if she knew that they were and/or could go get them and bring them to the New World, then she'd be pretty happy to stay.

 **Why haven't the other floor guardians had much writing time?**

I'm planning several chapters that focus on all of them, so don't worry! Everything's all coming together as I've planned it, it's just a matter of writing it! :D

 **Are any of the answers to the questions going to be used in the story?**

Yes! Some of these things are important to Zara's backstory as a character and will be important in the future, and some of them are just Fun Facts! It's just a matter of when these facts get revealed, rather than if.

And that's it for this lovely Q&A! Next up, Real Content Chapter 11. Spoilers for that one, it's chapter name is Some Assembly Required.


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